Hello
 
I have not ever responded to the FML tho' have been a "lurker" for years.
I am currently owned by 3 ferrets...Gus, Zak and Hope and godmother to
several others.  Firstly, I thank you all for this wonderful reading
material that keeps us on our toes where ferret care is concerned.
Secondly, my heart goes out to those of you who have lost their babies
in the past.  I lost 2 last year and I'm still getting teary-eyed so know
what you're feeling.
 
The reason I am finally raising my head here is that I read the initial
article on the Martha Stewart segment on ferrets.  I did not see the show
however, I forwarded the letter to a friend who runs a shelter.  She, in
turn, wrote directly to Marc.  I'd like to post his response to her simply
because he's asking the ferret world to write to the show to indicate just
how many people love and have ferrets.  He also answers her question as to
why he said to bathe a ferret every week.  It was a trade-off with Martha.
 
Here is her 2nd letter plus his 1st response.  (hope that makes sense to
you all!) Let's all write to Marc!!  Sounds like he's on the right track to
give positive information and feedback to the public on ferret ownership!
 
Dooks and kisses
 
Barb and the 3 whirling dervishes...Gus, Zak and Hope!
 
>Marc, BLESS YOU!  My appoligies for assuming you did not care.  I will in
>fact make sure all my ferret E-mail friends, customers, adopters etc.  get
>on the line to inform Martha how much we enjoy the segments.  I will do
>everything I can to help you continue your fight to educate the public.
>It certainly sounds like we are on the same team.  Again please forgive me
>for assuming, I have a real problem when it comes to theses guys, I am a
>fighter for them as well, so I will stand up and scream my head off if I
>think they are being wronged or hurt.  It would not hurt to somehow get
>accross that soap is not needed for every bath, water only is just as fun.
>But I agree you have come a very long way NO NEED to blow it now.  Keep up
>the great work I will make sure everyone is aware of what you are doing.
>Prayers are with you, Splash, Jingles, and Todd.  BTW I also have an
>angora, a rescue from Mass.  last summer.  Please keep me on your mailing
>list, I would love to keep in touch and help you in any way I can.  Brenda
 
 ----- Original Message -----
>From: <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Brenda <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2000 7:37 AM
>Subject: ferrets
>
>Hello Brenda!    The bath issue was a trade off that I had to make. Martha
>loves to bathe her pets and my TV ferret Splash loves to be bathed.  That
>is why his name is Splash.  So every week when I go to the studio Martha
>gives him a bath!  I do not interfere as ANY quality time that Martha and
>the producers spend with my ferrets is good as far as I am concerned.
>None of them ever even saw a ferret before they hired me and I had to
>really push them to accept ferrets for what they are instead of what the
>media portrays them to be.  Now after one year, they all now automatically
>think " everyday pets" are cats, dogs and ferrets.  When we did the prime
>time Christmas special Splash was automatically included in the line-up, I
>did not have to push them into it.  I worked very hard to promote this
>kind of thinking into a group of non-ferret owning people and now we have
>a very good relationship, If Martha wants to give Splash a bath every
>week, I am not going to stand in the way and take that pleaure away from
>either one of them, it is a small price to pay in the long run.  In that
>one little segment I was able to promote ferret shelters for the first
>time on national TV as well as dispell all the stupid ferret myths.  I
>got to tell 5 million people that ferrets are my favorite animals and I
>certainly have a lot of animals to choose from!
>
>So please forgive the bath issue in this one instance, if they get a
>positive feedback from the segment, I will be able to assert myself more
>in the future.  Actually you can help me in my battle.  I had to fib a bit
>to the producers about how many people actually keep ferrets in order to
>be allowed to do the segment.  If you could send an E-mail to the Ask
>Martha part of marthastewart.com and say how much you enjoyed seeing
>ferrets in a positive light, that would help me out.  The more viewers
>they see who have ferrets the better it will be for ferrets in the future.
>I have been fighting ferret prejudice for 25 years, ever since I first met
>the late Wendy Winstead who first figured out that a de-scented and
>neutered ferret makes a fine house pet and I am gratefull for the forum
>that fate has given me here to help out.
>
>Sincerely Marc Morrone (and Slash and Jingles and Todd the Angora ferret
>and all the co-star kits)
[Posted in FML issue 2966]