Hi, everyone,
 
Keith and I watched Whoopi last night.  While the episode wasn't quite as
funny as the previous two it was pretty good.  The ferret, Buddy, was not
shown in a bad light.  Sure enough, though, a ferret bite in a program
description is enought to start people writing to NBC without even
watching the program to see how the writers portrayed the ferret.
Puh-leez!  All you do is make ferret owners look nutty by overreacting
and jumping to conclusions like that.
 
For those of you who didn't see the program, here is the the plot, with
an emphasis on Buddy, in a nutshell:
 
Rita and Courtney have just adopted a ferret from the SPCA, a very cute
guy named Buddy.  Rita loves her new baby but Mavis (Whoopi Goldberg)
doesn't appreciate ferrets tells Rita to get "the weasel" out of her
hotel.  Rita insists that Mavis pet Buddy and literally shoves Buddy at
her, and Buddy nips and draws blood.
 
The swelling and big bandage are portrayed as hyperchondria and
exaggeration.  When Mavis' unwrapped hand is shown the finger looks
perfectly normal and the bite is described as a "tiny little cut".
Nonetheless, Mavis has gone to the emergency room where she faces a
surly nurse and an angry Rita.  She's kept waiting for hours.
 
Meanwhile, Buddy has taken ill and Courtney has rushed Buddy to a vet
where he is seen immediately and treated like royalty.  The vet has
Courtney call Mavis to see if she has any communicable disease she could
have given the ferret.  Buddy is getting better treatment than Mavis.
 
In the end, the situation leads to a reconcilliation of sorts between
Mavis and Rita, and Rita bringing her friends over to the hotel,
including the nurse who had tormented Mavis earlier.
 
Buddy is cute and gentle.  The point is to make fun of waiting rooms,
Mavis' overreaction to a tiny nip, and the fact that sometimes our pets
get better care than we do.  I think most people watching the show would
find Buddy adorable despite the little nip.  I think the show probably
did more good than harm.  I hope we see Buddy again.
 
Now, does anyone here believe a ferret who was dumped and ended up at
the SPCA would NEVER, EVER nip someone?  C'mon.  We know that they might
until shown love and attention.
 
All the best,
Caity and the non-stop nine
[Posted in FML issue 4281]