We had a very tiring time a week last Tuesday, a film crew from our local
tv, Granada, spent 5 hours with us filming the ferrets for the programme
"Potty about Pets" which will go out in August.  It started off with the
presenter doing some introduction shots outside the house, then Ron 'held'
three squirming ferrets whilst the cameraman did a few shots for the titles.
 
We then all went down to the square in front of Bolton Town Hall - the
presenter wanted to get the reaction of passers-by to Fritz, Kurt and Bum
per being walked on leads.  For once the 'gang' walked fairly straight on
their leads.  The bit they enjoyed was when the cameraman got the video
camera down to their level, they had a great time chasing it and finally
getting their noses right up to the lens filter.
 
Malcolm the presenter interviewed various folk about what they thought of
ferrets, don't forget in the UK most people's reaction to ferrets is that
they are vicious, smelly animals - anyway the three ferrets were doing get
PR work and nearly everyone wanted to pet them.
 
Then it was home to do the interview with Ron and I.  After the interview
they wanted some shots of the ferrets being ferrets.  The crew crammed
themselves into a corner, and they just used one big 2Kw lamp to light the
room, I brought in Tasha Yar, Spooky, Brock, Lulu, Amanda, Sarek, Phoenix,
Oliver, Claude and Jill and then let them go.  Graham, the cameraman, was
surrounded by war dancing, chooking ferrets.  I just hope that the ferrets
come across on the small screen as loveable, fun loving animals.  Ferret
owners in the UK are sick of seeing the shot of Richard Whitely with an
albino ferret hanging from his hand by her teeth.  Someone once said "If I
were a ferret I'd bite Richard Whitely!"
 
We are doing our first PR and Ferret Racing at a craft fair at Weston Park,
Near Telford this coming weekend.  The show is on Sunday and Monday but we
are travelling down on the Saturday morning, we like to get the ferrets, and
us, settled in without having a hectic rush setting things out.
 
I painted four of the racing pipes brilliant white last night, to help keep
the inside of the pipes cool when they are in the sun.  Paw Paw, Tara, Sindy
and Alfie are having a great time playing hide and seek in them at the
moment.
 
Mary and Mike from Bedford Ferret Welfare will be calling in on us on the
Saturday afternoon, they have some more racing pipes for us, plus extra
wiremesh for the joining sections.  Mike has also very kindly made us four
starting traps which will mean that we won't have to recruit as many
assistants to help us put on demonstration racing in the main arena.  We
will also be getting some copies of the revised Complete Book of Ferrets -
Mary should be receiving 1000 copies from the printers this morning.
 
To Bob R. I have just seen an English ferret, a neutered hob of around
7 years, with Adrenal Disease, the first one I have ever seen.
 
Sheila Crompton
 
[log in to unmask]
http://www.btinternet.com/~sheila/ferrets.htm
Bolton Ferret Welfare & Newsletter Editor of the
National Ferret Welfare Society of the UK
The opinions expressed by me are not necessarily those of the NFWS
[Posted in FML issue 1919]