Hi Everyone,
 
Two things from me today.  I've heard all the controversy over the
Marshall Ferrets and I'm not saying whether what's going on there is right
or wrong, but we need to remember that the ferrets can't help where they
came from.  They all need to be loved regardless of how they were born and
where they're from.  All of our 6 were originally Marshall ferrets,
whether we aquired them from the pet store, other people who couldn't keep
them, or found them outside in March (Waffle) doesn't change the fact that
they are all special.  I don't feel guilty about the few that I bought at
PetCo.  If I hadn't bought the first two, I would have never known about
ferret rescue and would not have had any reason to get involved in ferret
issues.  That's all I have to say about that.
 
As far as the best kind of dog to get along with a ferret, well, we
haven't had any luck with them except a 13 year old toy poodle.  We've
fostered and dog-sat for different people for the last year and none of
the dogs we've had are good matches for the ferrets.  We've had the
following dogs and problems in our house:
 
Long-haired Dacshund (7 yrs): trained to kill small rodents
 
Pit-bull/rat terrier mix (<1yr): didn't try to hurt them, but was too big
to play safely
 
Pure-bred Pointer (5): tried to kill them
 
black lab/husky mix (12 weeks): left them alone, they liked to tug on his
ears, but he'd snap at them if he became annoyed
 
Pure-bred husky (2): to rambunctious to let near the ferrets
 
black lab/Chesepeake mix (1.5 years): wanted to play, but was too big,
tried to put the ferrets in his mouth.
 
Toy poodle (13): didn't care much, they were to playful to be bothered
with.
 
Mini Long-haired Dacshund: was too scared of the bird to come out and see
the ferret
 
Hope this helps.
 
Cynthia & Todd, Tifa, Padme, Selphie, Jewel, Waffle, and Eggo
[Posted in FML issue 3607]