A HUGE pat on the back to Bill, Linda, Dick, Mason, and everyone who
went to the hearing in support of the ferret bill on Wednesday! I'm so proud
of our group! and I'm so encouraged with all the effort going into
passing the bill this year!
 
>  b) For Kari in Mass - I was hoping to meet you yesterday at the hearing
> to give you congrats in person, but since I didn't - CONGRATS ON TUFTS!
> It will be great to have someone in the area who cares, understands, and
> can do something to help!
 
Thanks, Mason! It was a drag not to be able to show up Wednesday, but
work and school responsibilities plus the 2 1/2 hour driving distance
prevented it. Next fall I'll be living in/near Boston to attend vet
school but I do hope to show up to support the bill if needed before then.
 
I just went to the 7-eleven to get multiple copies of People Magazine and
the beautiful picture of ferrets and Pat Wright eating ice cream (a
nutritional no-no!;) ). Always the evangelist, I showed the article to
the clerk who recognized the animals - surprising for the majority of
Mass residents. She described a ferret that her brother got from CT a
while back and explained how gentle and lovable it was. Then she stated
that their mother made them "return" it to the wild because she found out
they were illegal. They took the pet to a forest and abandoned
it to its fate. I was horrified, but not entirely surprised, I guess.
I tried to withhold my anger (for the system, not the clerk) and calmly
explained that ferrets are not wild and do not survive on their own. Then
I got in my car and thought about all the ferrets that were ever
"returned" to the wild in our state because of that horrid law and the
ignorance it has bred, and wept all the way home...
 
Anyway, I'm going to post copies of the article at the animal hospital
and at the college where I work. It is a very upbeat article yet clearly
portrays how fearful these ridiculous laws have made people. Even though
ice cream isn't good for ferrets it makes a very cute picture and
cleverly shows off their cuddly nature! that's the kind of PR we need!
 
I'm still looking for the article on the comparison of ferret bites
vs. other pet bites. First search hasn't panned out but I haven't given
up yet. I know there  is an article on this in Journal American Med Assn.
 
Dick, I totally agree with you...
> My own suggestion about letting ferrets outdoors without a leash is "don't".
> If your ferret should decide it wants to go exploring and doesn't want to be
> caught, you won't catch it.  They are fast and agile.
 
A very hearty "Here, here"! I lost a ferret that slipped off a leash once
for four LONG hours...I never want to relive that experience! My best
friend used to let her ferrets loose in the yard with supervision until
one disappeared. Much later she discovered it was found by neighbors five
miles away who had had it tested for rabies after it nipped their child.
This occurred in ferret-friendly Pennsylvania. People can save themselves a
lot of heartache by NEVER allowing a ferret loose outside. It would be
begging for trouble.
 
                        Kari in Mass
(Sorry so long-winded...you can tell I don't have homework this weekend!)
[Posted in FML issue 1146]