Hi All,
 
This is my first post to the FML.  I just want you all to know that I think
that this is absolutely the greatest thing to come along since the ferret.
 
First of all, I would like to extend my sincerest heartfelt sympathy and my
prayers to those of you who have lost a precious little one and to those of
you whose babies are battling for their lives.  I have two little ones who
can be placed in the later category.  Gismo has insulinoma and Princess has
a tumor that keeps recurring in her right sinus and upper palate of her
mouth.
 
Before I get into the story of Margaret's Babies, I would like to say a few
things:
 
One reason that I feel the need to post is simple.  I feel that we humans
are losing sight of what's important here.  In other words, we can't see the
forest for the trees or to put it more bluntly, we can't see the ferret for
the name.
 
It is my belief that each and every one of our little darlings deserve to
have a good and loving environment in which to live.  It should not matter
what his or her lineage is.  I feel that Ferret "A" who came from a
back-yard breeder, or Ferret "B" who came from a professional breeder, or
Ferret "C" who came from one of the farms, or any other Ferret (no matter
where he/she came from) all deserve the same right to have a home in which
he/she is loved and cherished.  The ferrets have no more control over who
their parents are or where their parents happen to live than do you or I.
It appears to me that there is a certain degree of discrimination here.  It
is unfair to deny these very loving critters a safe and happy home.  I do
not want to give the wrong impression, I do not agree with a lot of methods
used in breeding practices, but we are punishing the wrong beings.
 
I feel that it is time to move on to what is important--the ferrets.  It is
time we focus on ways to improve the quality of life for our fuzzies and
quit brow-beating an issue into the ground.  All that is being accomplished
is new owners are being terrified into thinking that their new baby is going
to die within a short period of time.  It is too bad that we humans can't
learn the true meaning of life that our ferrets have somehow managed to
achieve.
 
Now that I have stepped on a few toes and, I hope, opened a few eyes, I
would like to share my story with you.  I plan on breaking it down into
chapters so that I can share more with you.  It is my sincerest wish that
through the sharing of my experiences, others, especially new ferret owners,
will begin to understand that once one of these adorable creatures is
brought into the home, the responsibility is great.  There are a lot of
obstacles that must be overcome, a lot of tears shed, much heartbreak to
endure.  I would rather not have faced some of things that I went through,
however, each new baby that becomes part of my family reaps the benefits as
I have learned from the ones that came before him/her.  The joy these
animals provide far exceeds the heartache.  So, to each and every one of you
out there who is owned by a ferret, you are truly blessed.  Tomorrow, I will
begin chapter one- The Adventure Begins
 
Margaret, Princess, Gismo, Harley, Scooter, Coco, Merlin, Rusty and Fancy
        (and Scott, who puts up with all of us)
[Posted in FML issue 1699]