Yesterday morning (Monday), I had to say goodbye to my baby boy Rustle.
He had what our vet believed to be Lymphoma in his intestinal tract,
and went downhill very quickly. We will know more after the necropsy
and test results are in.

I wanted to tell his story, because as much as he meant to me, he was
also loved by others in the Maine/NH/Mass area, actually most of those
that knew him. Some even tried to "convince" him to come and live with
them, instead of staying with me. (Kim)

Rustle was a ferret that lived with a "family" that thought it would be
nice to get a ferret. Once the kids lost interest, they started letting
him outside to "play" in the woods. Anyone that knows the woods in
Maine, knows that there are any number of creatures that would love a
nice plump ferret for a snack.

Luckily for him, a neighbor of the family kidnapped him and brought him
to us. From the time we first laid eyes on him, a beautiful black Sable
boy, shelter mom said that he was going to be "her" ferret. Knowing how
many ferrets we had in the shelter, plus our personal ferrets, I just
said yea, sure. On the way home from picking him up, we settled on the
name of Rustle, like the leaves he was let out to play in.

Long story, short, Rustle was not a ferret that was going to be pushed
around. Crystal would try to hold Rustle and cuddle him, and he would
wiggle until she put him down. I would pick him up, and he would just
lay down in my arms and go to sleep. She would take him back, and he
would get down. He had made his own mind up and chose me to be his.

Rustle would meet me at the gate just inside out front door when I got
home, every day, without fail. His would be the first face I saw after
a rough day at work. I would come in, and after a quick cuddle and
treats, change clothes before heading down to the shelter to clean.
When I would get up in the morning, his was usually the first face I
saw when I put my feet on the floor. He would follow me into the
bathroom, into the shower, and stand under the water at my feet while
getting a drink.

This ferret meant everything to me. In over twenty couple years of
having ferrets in my life, I have been blessed with only two ferrets
that chose to love me as much as I loved them. They gave me everything
that they could, and I did likewise to them. And both of them were
taken from me way too early.

My only hope is that both Linus and Rustle knew how much I loved them
and how much they meant to my life.

Jim Kennedy, Director
Ferret Rescue of Maine
A State licensed, 501c3 Non-profit shelter.
Donate to shelter ferrets by clicking
igive.com/from

[Posted in FML 6478]