Hello All,
 
I just received some really horrible news last nite.  In order to share it
with you, I have to go back a few weeks in time.....
 
During the first week of January, I was contacted about the possibility of
relocating 8 ferrets.  The owners were quite devasted with the idea of
having to find new homes for their babies but the husband was quite ill with
heart related problems and was constantly going into and out of hospitals.
It was becoming increasingly more difficult for the wife and mother to work,
run a household, care for the kids, care for the husband and care for the
animals.  She was afraid that the ferrets were not getting the time and
attention they deserved and felt that relocating them was the best thing she
could do for them.
 
On the day that we went over to pick them up, she stated that a friend of
hers in Florida would love to take all of them and would care for them until
things were more stable on the homefront.  Now the only problem at hand was
how they would be traveling to Florida.  Scott and I both stated that that
would not be a problem as we were going to Orlando on the 23rd to attend the
FML 10th.  So, my 8 little foster children came home with Scott and myself
to live for three weeks.  They received the same care and attention that my
own ferrets did and, I admit, I became quite attached to them.  On the day
we were to leave, we began packing all of their belongings into our tiny
Probe, along with our luggage and the ferret products that were to be placed
in the hospitality center for sale.  The car was packed to the max!
 
We met the new foster parents just inside the Florida border and gave the 8
over into their care.  We headed south, they headed west.  Upon our return,
I called to see how things were and was told everyone was doing quite well,
even the one who had severe and unoperable adrenal disease.
 
The new care-givers had the 8 for three weeks, the same time period as
myself.
 
The call I received last nite went something like this:  "I am not doing so
well, we just got back from a 36 hour road trip.  We went down to pick the
ferrets up.  Rascal is dead!".  My response was "why?, what happened?  he
was doing so well when he was here!".  The next statement made was:
"Margaret, you would not believe what the others look like, they have all
lost about half their weight, they are skin and bones!".  My response:  "but
how, it has only been three weeks?"
 
Rascal would ONLY eat Pro Plan Growth Formula and was being fed a generic
blend at the new care-givers so he basically starved to death.  Another week
or so, and who knows, how many of the others would also now be statistics?
 
I feel responsible for these little ones because they were in my care and I
took them and handed them over to someone else to care for.  Why didn't I
see beyond the words.  Please, people check out who you are turning your
babies over to.  Don't let something like this happen to you.  I will always
feel that Rascal's death was partly contributed to my not feeling this
person out better.
 
For the ferrets, always
Margaret, Scott and the 16 who are mourning the passing of their brother and
friend
Exclusively Ferrets
 
Please see our tribute page to those who have gone on before us at
http://www.exclusivelyferrets.com/tribute
[Posted in FML issue 2223]