I will admit to being one of those who said "oh no, not AGAIN" when
Alexandra reported on her recent ferret death. This particular pet
owner seems to have a disproportionate number of tragedies with her
pets considering the few pets she has. I know of two ferrets who died
at the hands (mouths?) of dogs, not to mention one of those ferrets
escaping the house and causing injury to a chicken on more than one
occasion. I am trying to remember how the hedgehog died but can't
recall, though I am sure it was reported on the FML. In any event, her
track record isn't so good, IMHO. Does that make her a bad person? No.
But it does make her someone who needs to rethink having multiple
species of animals in her home.

I think we tend to react to such events based a lot on who is reporting
it. How many people thought the ferret/chicken story was funny? A
ferret got out of the house more than once, and at least one chicken
was injured. The ferret could have been seriously injured or lost.
How is that funny? How can someone even write about it in a humorous
manner? It was a sad, irresponsible event, both for the ferret and the
chickens.

Alexandra's parting words in the FML said a lot to me. She thanked us
for "being such a fine audience". Nothing more. I took it to mean that
she saw the FML as a forum for her writings, rather than a place to
learn.

Yes, we can comfort when a tragedy occurs, but we also need to be
reassured the person has learned so it won't happen again. If you don't
want to be questioned when an event such as this occurs, then don't
post about it. If you do post about it, rest assured that not everyone
will think it is OK. React to the event, not to the person who is
reporting it. I can almost guarantee that if there were a newspaper
report of a dog killing a ferret (or other animal), it would be
discussed on every ferret list and the person would be considered a
horrible pet owner to let such a thing happen. That's because we don't
know the person. All we see is an irresponsible pet owner. How can our
knowing the person make it all OK when it has happened not once, but
at least twice?
 
All I can hope is that something was learned so this doesn't happen a
third time. The biggest lesson, IMO, is that the dog and the ferrets
should not interact unless closely supervised at all times. Learn to
account for all animals before leaving your home. Make sure everyone
is where they are supposed to be. Count noses if you have multiple
animals. It quickly becomes a habit. It only takes a minute to make
sure everyone is safe. If not, then take the time to make everyone
safe. I have been late to work on more than one occasion because I
couldn't "find" a ferret. They were always right there, I just wasn't
seeing them. I don't leave until I know everyone is safe and accounted
for.

And before anyone believes that I think I'm perfect, trust me, I know
I'm not. But, I can say that the safety and care of the animals under
my care are my top priority.

Katharine

[Posted in FML 6093]