10-4 Randy. This response is for you and any others who may be
interested. The local source here in Seattle (Mercer Island, WA) for
the superior leather English harnesses is a pet store owner/proprietor
by name of Missy. Her store is named Animal Talk. Address 6415
Roosevelt Way NE Seattle 9815, Phone 206 526 1558.

Website is 3W's.animaltalkrescue.org.

As I recall from 5 years ago I paid a discount price of $12 each or so
for 6 to 10 harnesses of different colors, but you get no leashes. And
just as well, because I use surveyor's nylon/cotton line with loops in
both ends so that the leash is easily attached and removed. Don't know
if it'll work anymore but ask Missy for the Lipinski Ferrets North West
discount. The worst she can say is no.

If you use ordinary cotton twine be prepared for a surprise, because
some ferrets are smart enough to chew through their leash line. They
are smart as little devils insorfar that they'll backup to the full
length of the leash line and try to back out of their harness. They
will pull backward repeatedly with the result that the leash line is
drawn taught across the side of their head just at the jaw line. These
smart little buggers seem to realize all of a sudden that this twanging
leash line is their one big hinderance and will chew across their rear
molars thus severing the cotton leash line. Of course, you should use
the nylon surveyor's line, because they seem unable to sever this line
twixt their molars.

Perhaps I should clarify the situation here relative to the chewers
efforts. This problem only arises when the ferret is staked out in my
side yard. The other end of the leash is draped over a steel/aluminum
rod that is about a foot high and planted deep enough in the soil such
that the ferret cannot dislodge it or bend it over.

When I walk the ferret around the neighborhood, the local park, or up
in the Cascade mountains (decaying tree trunks are a ferret's absolute
joy), the leash line I use is about 15 feet or so, such that the ferret
can range quite a distance ahead of me, trailing his leash such that I
am aware at all times his location. When walking along the sidewalk I
usually shorten up on the leash line such that is just about vertical
down to the ferret. In this way I don't move unless the ferret pulls
straight ahead. Then I release more line and follow him along as long
as he goes straight ahead more or less, rather than heading for
neighborly shrubs/gardens, left, right and every other which way..

Walking ones ferret down the neighborhood street often results in a
wide range of conversations with pedestrians and drivers. It certainly
makes for a proud and fulfilling experience. In one instance a Metro
bus driver stopped his diesel bus dead in the street, ignoring all
traffic, and related to me how much he enjoys his own ferrets, the bus
passengers be damned!

As you may have realized, the staked ferret is restricted to his circle
plain and once he accepts this restriction to his total freedom he
tends to settle down to investigating his environment. Most ferrets
will shovel-nose any loose soil and will chest scoot pushing with their
hind legs and folding their forelegs in a trailing position tight
against their ribcage. As far as I can tell, they are sniffing the
loose soil, like a bulldozer with the dirt roiling back over their
heads. It appears that once they've scented a smell of interest they
then decide to go subterranean and the front claws go to work with
gusto, the dirt flying up against their chest and back towards the
hollow between their rear legs, the dirt forming a mound of loose,
fresh dirt directly under them.

At this juncture a rather strange and absolutely ferrety thing happens.
The ferret decides that the pile of dirt under his belly has got to go
somewhere so there will be more room for the next pile of diggings. The
ferret holds his two forepaws together and while his hind legs scratch
out a V-shaped trench behind him, he scoots rearward, his dirt pile
being pushed along and into the V-shaped trench. He thusly distributes
the pile of dug dirt far rearwards and away from his tunnel entrance
some 4 to 6 inches displaced. It goes mostly without saying, but once
you've seen the tunnel entrance and the V-shaped ditch leading away
from the tunnel, you can be sure that the tunnel was dug by a ferret,
since no other animal I know leaves such a telltale sign of its
excavation.

The one exception may be the badger when it is attacking and digging
out underground trapped prey. However, the badger throws a shower of
soil high into the air and makes no cute little ditch with a V shape
elongation. Some farmers over in sagebrush country say that a digging
badger gives one the first impression that an irrigation pipe has
ruptured and water is spraying high into the sky. Not so with ferrets.

It is not unusual that the excavating ferret is soon lost to sight in
his newly dug tunnel. Every so often he will back out entirely,
sometimes sit up and look around as if to check that all is still OK
with the world. And then with the blink of an eye he swooshes back down
into the tunnel to dig out another load of good old Mother Earth.

Yes, good old Mother Earth is a fur cleanser of super efficiency. You
can take an older, globular hob (non-neutered male) with his huge
marble balls, and who smells like a ferret from the skunk works, comes
away from the digging grounds with no discernible musky odor, but
instead smells of sweet garden soil, the essence of nature. The
difference is altogether remarkable and allows one to cuddle the big
lug against your chest in loving embrace - that is without your clothes
smelling all ferretish.

Lastly, and most affectionately, comes the unsaddling of the harness
from around the ferret's body at day's end. Once the buckle is opened
the ferret eagerly twizzles out into my arms and takes purchase on my
chest, his face looking up into mine and seemingly says to me, Oh, boy
what a wonderful relief to get than damn thing off.

Now comes the big, big moment for both him and me. With both hands I
massage the back of his neck and shoulders. He thrusts upward with
rather amazing force into my moving fingers and his tongue juts and
thrusts repeatedly toward my chin. I lower my head, my chin, onto his
busy tongue and lo the two meet in solemn rapture, I benefiting from
the formatting of an animal to human bond that could never be stronger
than this. And he, likely joyous in the massaging back rub from my
gentle fingers, eagerly jumps into his cage and straight away guzzles
that water bottle valve for a long, long drink of cool, cool water.

I look at him with a feeling of deep kinship. He barely notices me
gazing at him with admiration and disappears beneath his sleep blanket,
apparently quite self-satisfied and with not a care in the world.

Ahh, and so it goes in this world of wonder.

Edward Lipinski Ferret Endowment for Rehab, Research, Education, and
Training Society, North West Foundation. Ferrets North West Foundation
is a not for profit org and is under the supervision of the National
Heritage Foundation, Falls Church, VA 22044, nhf.org.

Note: For those who should like to educate themselves and their
ferrets, that is, to undertake a purely educational activity, I may be
able to obtain for you as many ferret harnesses as you want. In effect,
if you itemize on your Fed Income Tax, the cost of harnesses may be
essentially free to you. You will need to contribute a little more than
the actual costs for educational material to the National Heritage
Foundation in the name of Ferrets North West Foundation. I can withdraw
the funds then needed to purchase your educational material and mail
the harnesses to you. You keep your contribution receipt and report it
on your 2008 Federal Income Tax as a charitable contribution (I /will
furnish the appropriate tax number of the NHF) /for which you take the
appropriate deduction. This may work for you, though you may want to
consult with your tax adviser or the IRS.

[Posted in FML 6077]