My very special ferret, Waddy, has gone to the Rainbow Bridge.  His is a
very, very tragic story, and it is so similar to the story of my Casper's
death which occurred only about a month and a half ago.
 
Waddy got out because I had accidentally left the gate on our ferret-proofed
sundeck open.  It was a stupid, absent-minded mistake.  We are alwa very,
very careful, except for this time.  Waddy wandered out, walked down our
road about 5 houses away from where we lived.  He crossed another road, and
went into a yard where 2 dogs live.  These were the same 2 dogs that killed
Casper when he got out, and this time, they killed Waddy.
 
They attacked Waddy, then proceeded to go into a frenzy and turned on each
other.  Both of these dogs injured each other, one quite badly.  The owner
came running to our house, and we ran back and got Waddy.  He was still
alive, and we took him home and wrapped him in a blanket to keep him warm.
I paged the vet, but knew it was futile as Waddy's breathing was very
laboured.  I held him, and told him that it was OK for him to go and see
Bear and Casper and that he would love being at the Rainbow Bridge.  Waddy
left us after about 10 minutes.  I'm glad that we were able to hold him and
comfort him while he left.
 
We spoke to the dog owners who are also very traumatized by this terrible
incident.  We assured them that they cannot hold any guilt, and that we in
no way hold any blame or animosity towards them or their dogs.  It all
comes down to two things - a little fuzzy getting outside by mistake, and
to the dogs' instincts.
 
We are devastated.  We had booked Waddy for adrenal surgery and I was to
travel with him to Vancouver in a couple of weeks so he could get this
surgery.  We had very high hopes as this vet is very, very good, and we
thought that we would be able to have Waddy for many years after we helped
him with the surgery.  He had only just turned 4.
 
We are building a barricade past the sundeck gate so that no ferrets can
get out, just in case for some reason the gate is left open again.
 
That is all I can say, except please give your fuzzies an extra hug and
kiss today from Waddy and I.  They are here for such a very short time
before they are called home.  thank you.
 
Linda, Scamp, Shreddy and Ferret Angel Waddy
 
Linda Prowse
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[Posted in FML issue 2498]