Hi everyone,
 
Well, forgive me if this post is mostly off topic...I've been reading
the posts about dogs and ferrets.  It is well, or perhaps ill-timed that
these posts come today.
 
My ferrets never met my dogs.  The dogs lived at my parents' house, the
ferrets at mine.  The dogs are scotties.  Scottish terriers are bred to
"go to ground" on badgers and weasels and other ferret-like animals.  They
have strong instincts and are VERY fast.  And the first thing they do if
they catch an animal is shake really hard.  And FYI, most terriers are
similar.  They are by and large NOT a good group to have with ferrets.
 
Now, they will never meet Meaghan.  This is the off-topic part.  Yesterday
morning, our 14 yr old dog, Meaghan, the pretty girl who used to sleep on
my pillow when I was in high school, the little beast who cleaned her feet
so much that she wore away the material on the couch cusions, the puppy
who chewed on white landscape rocks instead of chew toys, is gone.  She
lived a long life, longer than average, and the final two years of it
were spent happily, but battling bladder cancer.
 
I know this list is about ferrets, but you guys understand.  You KNOW what
our furry companions, of all kinds, mean to us.  You won't think I'm too
attached, that she was "just an animal" and you won't think less of me
that I spent all day yesterday crying.  I have been through this heartache
of losing one of my furry babies already this year, Cael's loss was
devastating.  But Meaghan has been a part of my life since I was 10.  I
barely remember what life was like without her, and I am sure I don't
really want to know.  In the end, Meaghan was suffering, and the vet met
us at our home, so that Meaghan would not have the stress of going to the
vet.  She had her ears scritched, her butt scrutnched and her back petted
until the very end, and the end came very quickly.
 
I only hope that at Rainbow Bridge, where they can't hurt each other, my
Lady Meaghan McTavish will meet my Cael and Booboo, and they will have a
grand time together.  (I know Meaghan will think they are great toys, and
Booboo and Cael will be able to gang up on her, like thye used to do to
mommy.)
 
Thank you all for listening, even though it isn't really ferret related.
 
Melissa Barnes
http://www.geocities.com/lostferrets
http://www.geocities.com/lothruin
Mira, Tasha, Robin, Nietzsche, Samuri and O'Dell
[Posted in FML issue 3608]