Thank you all for the guidance, information and stories you have all so
graciously shared!!  I have been an avid observer of the FML for the last
6+ months and I thought it might be time for me to share one of my own
fuzzy stories.
 
My love of ferrets did not surface until after I was "forced" into fuzzy
ownership.  Three and a half years ago a friend of mine had asked if I
would be interested in adopting a ferret from a friend of hers who's
teenager had "lost interest" in this lil guy.  To my (now) embarrassment,
my reaction was "NO WAY!!... they are STINKY, DIRTY and they BITE!" *ah
hem* fortunately, my friend was a bit more informed about these wonderful
creatures and her reaction was "yes!"
 
a week later when I got home from work, there was Emmett looking up at me
from his cage.  All I can say is that from that *first* instant when I
picked him up... my heart just MELTED!  How could I have been sooo
misinformed about ferrets?  Well, Emmett Sheets (yes, he has a last name
too) and I have come a long way and he has taught me so much more about
loving, laughing and caring deeply for animals than I could have ever
imagined possible.  Over the years, "ferret math" has struck and we now
have 7 ferrets altogether (each one had come from a neglected, abandoned
or no-longer-able-to-keep environment).  To my fianci's relief, 7 *IS*
the perfect number of ferrets for us (not to mention our dog, Hazey and
our cat, Julius in the mix too)!
 
This one is Emmett's story though for one and a half years, he was my
one and only ferret!  I was single at the time and he was truly my 'lil
companion.  Because I have family all over Ohio and Pennsylvania, Emmett
went with me on all of my weekend roadtrips and vacations!  It got to the
point that no longer did my nieces and nephews greet me with "Hi, Aunt
Audrey!", but instead, I got "Where's Emmett?!" (err, my sister
thoughtfully had a talk with them and now I get "Hi, Aunt Audrey where's
EMMETT??") *grin*
 
Well, because my animal companion family has grown so much, it is no longer
feasible for me to take them on the many trips with me (but fortunately, I
have two *wonderful* neighbors who love to take care of the animals while
I am gone).  I love to travel and do so quite frequently, but my mind and
heart tend to think of my original 'lil traveling companion, Emmett Sheets.
Last year, I decided to do something about it... I started sending Emmett
postcards to my house!  (Just imagine my mailman's reaction each time he
delivers one of these postcards addressed to: Emmett Sheets c/o [me]!)
Haha Each one of Emmett's postcards make it on the refrigerator and to
date, he has postcards from San Diego; Chicago; London, England; San
Francisco and Niagara Falls!
 
Here's where it gets interesting... most all of my family and friends know
about my "habit" of sending Emmett postcards while I am away; and boy, do
they get a kick out of coming over to the house to read them on the
refrigerator.  Well, this past week there was a postcard from Colorado
Springs, Colorado with the most adorable baby black bear cub pictured on
the front of it.  (My mother and her husband were celebrating their
honeymoon in Colorado) I had a smile on my face thinking, aww, mom sent
me a postcard... but NO, instead, to my amusement, it was addressed to:
Emmett Sheets c/o [me]!!!!!!!  When I read they message, they had written:
 
"Dear Emmett and the Rest of the Entourage: Thought this guy [the picture
of the bear cub] looked like a relative and we were wondering if we should
bring him home?!?  Colorado is beautiful and we hope to see you soon!"
 
'Anyone else on here have any such quirky things that they do for the love
of their ferrets??  If so, I'd love to hear about them.  Someday I hope to
get Emmett's postcard collection to include one from each state!  Not sure
if I'll make it to each of the 50 states in Emmett's lifetime... anyone
interested in sending Emmett a postcard from your state or country for
his collection?!?!?!  Hmmmm, this could be FUN!!!!
 
Thanks to all,
 
Audrey & Michael
Fuzzies:  Emmett Sheets, Mimi, Bodie, Doyle, Daisy, Beau & Luke
The "Other" Lovable Animals:  Hazey & Julius
[Posted in FML issue 3483]