* Here's what we need you to do.  Please send a polite, sincere,
* letter to the judge before February 10th.  Be brief, explaining
* your interest, ownership and experience with ferrets.  Note why
* you feel the negation of the anti-ferret administrative rule is
* important.  [New Yorkers, don't mention that you own a ferret.
* Say instead something along the lines of your having direct
* experience with them but that fear of reprisal from the Health
* Dept. means you can't actually have such a pet anymore.]  DO NOT
* send insulting or rude comments!  We feel this judge will react
* very, very negatively to such letters.  Our only hope is for the
* judge to understand that there are many, many rational people out
* there who will be ill-served if we lose this case.
 
    I plan on adding to mine the fact that I am a graduating college
student with a number of job decisions to make and the ability to
keep my pet is a large factor in that decision-making process, right along
with things like climate, money, safety, etc. I'd hate to have to reject a
job in NYC in order to keep my pet....
    Ferrets are just like dogs and cats in that, if they are mistreated
and not taken to the vet, they *can* be dangerous and diseased. But we don't
abolish dogs and cats, do we? We abolish people who mistreat them! :)
    My favorite clearing-up of ferret facts was when someone was
petting CHelsea with a little awe and saying, "Wow, the ferret I knew
once was really vicious and bit very hard." I said, "Well, if you treat
them badly, they'd get mean, sure, like any other pet." And the guy said,
"Yeah, my friend's dog was real mean, too, so it was probably him and not
the pet, per se." A half-hour romp in a public area can do a lot to clear
up misconceptions, especially outside our dorms, where other students don't
feel self-conscious about asking a dormmate what the heck that furry critter
is. :-) I must have introduced Chelsea to about 30 people outside my circle
of friends already this semester and I'm trying to keep a low profile with
her since I'm not sure how Housing "officially" feels about her. :-)
    Well, I'm off to write a letter....I don't need to scratch any
more places off my list of prospective job areas....:P
 
[Posted in FML issue 0407]