>From: Louis <[log in to unmask]>
>Just received the message that at about 6:15 this morning, Phoebe quietly
>passed away with June at her side.
 
To Louis from Edward Lipinski  (And to all other ferret owners too)
 
Dear Louis I am very sorry to learn of your Phoebe's passing.  Please
accept my sincerest condolences.
 
I don't know where you are located relative to the Seattle area and so what
follows may be moot.  I have a request of you that I dearly hope will not
offend you nor will offend others on this forum.
 
Is there the possibility that you would consent to providing to me Pheobe's
remains?  The reason for my request is so that I may be able to study in
detail Pheobe's dentition.  It is very important to know the birth and
death dates of Phoebe, and once accurately established, Pheobe's dentition
will provide another benchmark in Ferrets NorthWest effort to ultimate
publish a "Guide to Estimating Ferret Age and Longevity on the Basis of
Dentition." As you may or may not realize, it is very difficult to estimate
the age of a ferret on the basis of its dentition currently, because there
are simply no meaningful data yet compiled.  In order to establish some
guidelines, it is necessary to have hundreds of ferret dentitions closely
examined, photographed, and charted in detail.  The best way for me to do
this is to be able to examine and study the dentition of recently deceased
ferrets.  To do this I appeal to the overall ferret community to donate the
remains of their deceased ferrets to Ferrets NorthWest , but two facts must
be known beforehand: 1.) Birth date 2.) Death date.
 
I do most sincerely hope that my request here is not one that upsets you
or that you reject outright as improper or macabre.  Be that the case,
unfortunately, please accept my heartfelt apology.  I mean Phoebe nor you,
nor anyone, disrespect.
 
And to others who may chance to read this posting and would consider
responding in the affirmative when their ferret passes away, please let me
thank you.  I can't do this without your help, each and every one of you.
Ultimately it's foremost for the ferrets and secondarily it's for my legacy
in the wonderful world of ferretdom.
 
Edward Lipinski -  The Searcher.
 
[Moderator's note: Some other people on this list have disagreed with
Edward's premise that no dentition studies have been done.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2936]