Everybody loves Jeanne Carley! And, even if you don't know her, you
are probably familiar with her work. Jeanne annually produces the The
Ferret Calendar, which has grown through the years to be one of the
most sought-after ferret calendar available.

Her family, like many of ours, has both two footed and four footed
memories. As Jeanne tells it, "My two footed family consists of my
father, two brothers and a sister, one sister-in-law and one
brother-in-law. My four footed family includes three of our favorite
small animals :), one Arabian gelding and one Irish Sporthorse
gelding." An avid horse-woman, Jeanne is still a long-termer as a
ferret lover, having been introduced to them 20 years ago. They also
influenced her life as a professional photographer. Today Jeanne
publishes a calendar that benefits ferret shelters throughout the
United States.

"I was given a ferret in 1988 and fell immediately and completely in
love." This ferret was given to her by a friend, who got it from his
veterinarian, who had found it in her garage.". Sadly the typical
lost ferret scenario, " Jeanne reports. "Because I'm a professional
photographer, I naturally began taking his picture -- which was
not easy to say the least. Sadly he died about a year later from
lymphoma, but I continued taking photographs of other ferrets because
photographing my little guy was such joy."

And, this introduction was very memorable to Jeanne. "PT and Bogie
belonged to a friend who brought them from Virginia when he and his
wife moved to CA in the mid 1980's. They were so amazing, fun,
intelligent and delightful, I was astounded that there was such an
engaging animal in the companion animal world."

But, not all is good. Jeanne recalls a "fairly recent and traumatic ...
attack on myself and my Arabian by a pitt bull which left me with a
broken neck and torn up knee and my horse with an $1,1000.00 [sic] vet
bill. I saw the aggression and power of an animal perfectly legal in CA
contrasted with what I know and have seen with even the most aggressive
or frightened illegal ferret."

Given a chance to spend 24 hours with anyone, living or dead, Jeanne
would chose her mother, who "died suddenly when I was eight. She was a
wonderful person and an artist. I would have loved to know her as an
adult. Children are so dependent that you don't really get to know the
character of your parents until you mature and I never got to know her
well." No doubt this is a woman from whom Jeanne inherited some of her
artistic talent.

If you get a chance, sit down and visit with Jeanne. She is as much fun
as she is interesting. Her taste is eclectic, and her interests range
from everything from the old -- "My music tastes are pretty eclectic,
rock, classic, jazz. I'm not a fan of rap, sorry." -- to the new -- "I
love fantasy, science fiction just about anything that reveals a new
world, the imagination at work. One of my favorite works was the Dune
series by Frank Herbert. He created a new world, new societies and
religion. Fascinating series."

Jeanne still enjoys spending time with her father, who also works
toward ferret legalization in California. "My Dad is pretty much my
hero," says Jeanne. "He is a veteran of WW2, started his own successful
business and raised 4 kids pretty much on his own." They spend a lot
of time flyfishing, which is Jeanne's "favorite way to unwind. Or just
riding a trail with one of the ponies. Jumping is fun but it's not
relaxing!!!"

Jeanne would like to be remembered "by my work. I don't think you
can take these kinds of pictures, tell these sweet and funny stories,
make these moments happen, without a deep love, and understanding, of
ferrets. The pictures make me smile, even laugh, at times. I hope they
do the same for ferret lovers long after I'm gone."

To see some of Jeanne's work or order from her, visit Jeanne Carley's
Ferret Company at http://www.ferretcompany.com or
http://www.jeannecarley.com.

-- 
Renee Downs
"Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem we
 destroy ourselves." Jonas Salk
"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets
the credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
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International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org

[Posted in FML 6095]