I have to post this here, as well- Mattea was an Australian Shepherd,
not a ferret, but she was one of the best ferret caretakers you could
hope for. She was a Red-Tri, 41 pound compact bundle of perfection. As
some of you know, I require the use of a service dog, and she performed
this duty unwaveringly for 16 years, as well as allowed me to show her
and tried anything else I wanted to do with her. Some things she
excelled in, some not so much, but that little dog NEVER refused to
try anything I asked of her.

As many of you also know, many ferrets pass through my home- some
infants, some juveniles, some adults. All have issues. That dog put up
with the babies crawling on her and making nests between her back legs
in all her coat. While they were asleep, she would not move-no matter
how much she had to pee. She put up with bratty teens chasing her
through the house to bite her feet. NEVER did the girl snap or stomp
them- she just played and ran and when it was too much came and got me-
gave me that pleading look. She calmed terrified adult ferrets who had
been dumped as abuse cases, and the unsocialized ones had a chance to
understand dogs. They came to know her as a friend, and licked her
teeth, and ate out of her bowl with her. They used her as a ramp to
get to the sofa. All of that, the dog tolerated with grace, humor and,
okay, sometimes a "martyr" attitude. When I took ferrets to the park,
she helped to watch over them. She was absolutely a one of a kind, and
I don't expect to ever find another dog like her.

She was 17 when we saw the vet on Friday the 23rd. She had had enough,
and I wanted her to go peacefully. She had a wonderful Thanksgiving and
a good Friday. It was a ver kind a peaceful passing.

I miss her more than I ever thought I could miss anything, and my other
animals have lost a true friend as well.

Mattea 10-24-90/ 11-23-07

[Posted in FML 5805]