There's been some talk lately about people soliciting money on the FML.
That's a good segueway for me, but also quite timely --- this time of
year is very special to Dervish and me.
 
When I joined the FML, I was a broke college student waiting for my
financial aid to come in and generally scraping by.  I knew I wanted a
ferret and had been gathering information, and had coughed up just enough
cash for a cage and supplies, plus money for the first round of
vaccinations (aside from an emergency fund --- which is truly, strictly
for emergencies).  I honestly planned to wait before I bought my ferret.
 
But I fell in love with one little ferret at the pet store.  I went to see
her just about every day, and she'd always clamor to get out of the cage
when I walked in.  She wouldn't let anyone else pick her up.  But I
couldn't afford her.  I was terrified somebody else would buy her out from
under me before I could get my money.  The guys at the pet store couldn't
hold her for me, and wouldn't let me take her home and pay with an
installment plan.
 
It was pretty bleak.  I posted on the FML looking mainly for sympathy ---
many people wrote with suggestions about installment plans and such, none
of which swayed the pet store.  But I got a short note from an FMLer one
morning telling me that if I provided the number and name of the pet store,
she would charge the ferret for me.
 
My God.  I was floored.  I'm still floored when I think about it.  A total
stranger took a chance on someone halfway across the country --- and
managed to convince the pet store to take credit over the phone. :-)
 
Thanks to outlawdook, forever our Fairy Dookmother, Dervish and I have been
together for nearly a year now.  She's a spoiled little weasel who never
fails to make me laugh (although the day she jumped on me and yanked my
pajama pants down in front of the plumber *was* a bit embarassing!), and
who I love more than anything else in the world.  Thank God for outlawdook,
who gave me my precious, perfect ferret.
 
Maybe some shelters would've automatically assumed that since I'm in
college, I can't provide a good home for a ferret; outlawdook had faith
in me.  And I'm very proud of the life I've given Dervish --- thirty
jingle-balls and twenty feet of clear plastic tubing, plenty of chow and a
comfy hammock, hours of playtime and now, neat ferret toys called "kitties"
to play with.  She sleeps next to me when I study on weekends; when she
wakes up, we play.  I take her with me on errands.  At night, she curls up
on a special pillow on my bed that I've put out just for her.  I have a
happy, spoiled ferret --- all thanks to our Fairy Dookmother.
 
I was planning to post along these lines on the actual anniversary of
Dervish's homecoming, but since there have been some sad posts lately
about natural disasters and such, I thought sharing this story again might
brighten someone's day.  Some of you remember this from when it happened,
and I'd like to thank all of you as well, for providing so much help and
support over the last year.  Here's to ten or twelve more just like it. :-)
 
-(TX) Meghan and Dervish the WonderFerret
 
p.s.  I plan to put some Dervish photos on my website soon --- she hid my
camera (with a roll of film inside!) when we moved, so I don't have any
shots of her at the moment!  Maybe she was unhappy with her hairstylist
that day and didn't want the photos to come out.
[Posted in FML issue 2813]