An unexpected event can end in tragedy!!  so Listen Up!!
 
Truckers are some of the most careful,cautious, and plan ahead people in the
world.  This driver had the latest technology and the best driving record
and the finest planned mobile castle any fuzzy ever dreamed of.  But one
tiny possibility slipped thru the preparations and the result was tragic..
 
Many fuzzy owners love too take their fuzzys with them on trip whether
business or pleasure, and truckers alone o the road for thousands of miles a
month are no different.  Some like this fellow make elaborate habitaats for
their traveling buddies equipped with every thing any fur child could
possibly want or need.  The boot of the truck is well equipped to keep the
little furry sidekick in the greatest of comfort and allows for play room
and lots of interaction with the driver both while on the road and when
stopped.  No expense is spared to assure the safety and health of their
mobile carpet shark.  Because they actually live a large percentage of their
lives in their trucks they take far more care and put vastly more thought
into being sure everything is thought of and every possible problem is
anticipated.  Unlike more normal car jockeys that only plan for each trip as
it comes and can find themselves in various predicaments that rely on
immediate help being close by.
 
The temperature in the Mohave deset was well over a hundred that day..  but
the driver and his two girls were rocketing along in the latest model of
modern trucking luxury..  The outside conditions were not any more concern
than they had ever been.  He had the CB for trouble and the cellular for
backup and even that was caution overkill as he had never had any real
trouble in all his years on the road..he planned ahead and kept his rig in
the very best of tip top condition!  So when his truck motor suddenly died
he wasn't unduly worried..he had redundant battery back up and could usually
find and fix the problems, as rare as they were, in a few minutes at most.
He braked to a stop in the break down lane and set about finding the
problem.  It was a few miutes later he noticed somethig funny..his air
conditioning in the cab had sighed to a stop.  So he walked around and tried
to get electrical power to transfer from the back up system to restart the
air that kept the cab comfortable.  Nothing..  so he started really hunting
in earnest.  While he tried to locate the trouble the wind began to blow and
within about 15 minutes it was beginning to blow sand into the air.  He
climbed back into the cab as the sand storm rapidly reduced visibility to
nearly zero.  Figureing it was time to call in the tow truck he snapped on
his CB rig only to discover it was not coming on..the red telltale that
indicated it was recieving electrical current from the batteries stayed dark
and nothing else in the truck was working either.  By this time it was
getting Hot in the cab so he figured this was what he had paid all those
many months of Cellular bills for and grabbed his phone.  But he hadn't
planned on the sand storm or his distance from a town of any size.  By now
the cab was uncomfortqbly hot and getting worse by the minute.
 
One look at the little girls in their enclosure told him they were in
trouble.  And it wasn't long before he was suffering badly too.  By the time
the storm passed and his phone worked the cab was oven hot and he was barely
aware enough to make the call for help..  It was another 45 minutes before
the wrecker arrived and by then the tiny fur kids were both in a coma.  The
driver had both heat stroke and sun stroke from standing outside trying to
flag down help.
 
When the driver stggered into a small diner in the tiny town with tears
running down his face and one limp fuzzy in each hand pleading for help for
them they were in a desperate condition.  There was no vet there and none
open for many many miles in any direction much less one that knew
ferrets..not in the only state in the union that still had laws denying him
the right to have his precious pets.  He slumped into a booth and held his
babies to his chest and prayed and cried over them in total anguish and gut
wrenching fear.
 
The nite waitress walked in the door on this scene and knew immediately what
was going on..she had ferrets herself..handicapped ones she had adopted a
few months before.
 
And thats when my pager went off!  I returned the call and was told a very
fast mover was leaving immediately on a non-stop high speed run to bring me
two very sick ferrets.  I figured up the miles vs time later and the driver
must have averaged over 90 mph for most of the way.  With other truckers
running interference all the way.  I recieved the little girls Molllie and
Millie and got them into the infirmary and hydrated as soon as was possible.
Neither was responsive and after two hours with no change they were started
on IV's and placed in cool soft dark enclosures to let them overcome the
severe heat stroke they both had... All I could do was let the driver so
very far away and so sick himself know they were still alive but there was
no change.  The longer they were in heat shock the worse the final damage
might prove to be.  At a day and a half and still no sign of returning
awareness the driver and the waiting group of friends knew nothing was going
to bring his babies back to him..it had been too long.  I did not agree but
felt to give him any false hope would be very cruel so I just told them on
the phone to sit tight and pray, the fight wasn't over yet.
 
Well, those two little girls must have loved him a very great deal and
wanted awfully badly to come back to be with this loving man because at
nearly two days they both woke up within the same hour and in another hour
were hungry and munching and drinking like crazy.  I called as soon as I was
completely sure they were going to stay and the whoops of glee could be
heard clear across the room.  They both looked up and it was evident they
knew their beloved Daddy's voice.  And wanted to go home!
 
They go back to their Daddy this weekend when his truck is fixed and he
comes for them..  What was wrong?  A fifty cent little electrical relay
switch deep in the engine failed and terminated ALL electrical power to all
parts of thae truck..  This time the little ones lived..  Let's hope there
never is a next time!
 
AND IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANY ONE OF US!!!
 
 food for thought don't you think???
 
 dayna
 dayna frazier   102046,3162
'resident of the 'Marvellous Menagerie of Mirthful Mayhem'
             MMOMM!!!
[Posted in FML issue 1593]