Here is what I sent to the Calgary Herald with many thanks to Becky
DeGeer who sent me the paper's letters address after my eyes tired
too badly. Notice that the address is
  [log in to unmask]

Begin forwarded message:

>From: Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: July 28, 2008 12:37:10 PM EDT
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: service animals and how our ferret saved my life
>
>Having had my life saved by a ferret I have to take exception to the
>unwarranted assumptions expressed in your piece:
> <http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/theeditorialpage/story.html?id:b7598b-db77-40fc-bf2f-7cc5c2e8c37c>

> which began:
>>We smell a rodent
>>Calgary Herald
>>Published: Sunday, July 27, 2008
>>The facts about service animals should be easy to ferret out -- the
>>weasel-like creatures don't count.
>
>Ferrets, relatives of otters and weasels rather than of rats, are
>affectionate and intelligent.
>
>In my own situation our furnace malfunctioned while my husband was out
>on a morning walk. Hilbert, a very trustworthy ferret, was out of the
>cage at the time. I was sleeping in and due to my asthma was beginning
>to having breathing problems from the fumes. Hilbert climbed the bed
>and gently and persistently kissed and nuzzled my face until I was
>aware enough to force myself up, turn off the furnace, and vent our
>home. My husband came home later to find us all huddled in the cold
>but clean breeze from an open door.
>
>Although i had assumed that Hilbert merely saved me from a nasty
>asthma attack my physician said that he more likely saved my life
>and that of the other household pets as well as his own.
>
>I've read of 4 or 5 times when ferrets alerted humans to house fires
>and in doing so saved their families.
>
>Ferrets have been used by at least two people for seizure alert
>animals warning them in time before seizures so that they could take
>their medications and lie down in a safe place to avoid falls. See
>these two references:
>
> http://www.extremeweezils.com/ewfriends.html#cerino
>
> <http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/media/critter-news/legal-news/ferrets-cause-eviction.aspx.pdf>
>
>Furthermore, ferrets helped bring a little autistic boy out of his
>shell in which he was trapped.  References:
>
> http://www.modernferret.com/pressreleases/sean.html
>
> http://www.wolfysluv.com/seanval.html
>
> http://www.wolfysluv.com/bb.html
>
>Additionally, ferrets have often been noted as having been used as
>animal visitors to help bring joy and wonder to patients in nursing
>homes and hospitals. Here is a piece by a veterinarian who has a
>ferret who serves people in this way but this is far from a solitary
>situation since I've known several such ferrets personally and have
>read of a number more:
>
> <http://en.allexperts.com/q/Ask-Veterinarian-700/Ferrets-continuing-care-facilities.htm>
>
>Now, I don't know if her ferrets really do help that woman with her
>agoraphobia. They might. The person who would have enough knowledge to
>decide would be a mental health professional familiar with her case,
>not a newspaper editor nor a transit employee.
>
>If the many ways ferrets have helped people are not services then I
>don't know what is! Not all service animals are dogs, plain and simple.
>
>Sukie Davis Crandall

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 6046]