Almost all terriers were bred to "go to ground" on small mammals.  Most
were bred to do so after badgers, weasels, etc.  They are too fast to
catch before they grab an animal, too strong to hold them back once they
see it, the first thing they do is shake that animal until its neck is
broken, and they don't like mustelids.  Does this sound like an animal
you want to have in close proximaty to your ferrets?
 
I always had Scottish Terriers growing up.  They are wonderful, loyal,
intelligent dogs with highly developed personalities and sweet faces.
I love my puppies.  I would not in a million years put one of my ferrets
in the same room as one of the scotties.  They stay at my parents' house,
the ferrets stay with me, and both are blissfully unaware of the other's
existence.  Terriers are fast and determined, their hunting instincts ARE
still very strong, but most importantly, unlike their bigger "hunting dog"
counterparts, they were meant as an exterminator, not a companion to help
bring home dinner.  Their first instinct is to kill.
 
Though there are some terrier breeds which might be no problem to have
with ferrets, (very few, but I'm sure there must be at least one or two,)
in general terriers were bred to KILL on sight any animal which shared
resemblance with our ferret babies.  They are a great group of dog, and
with the possible exception of boxers, ALL of my favorite dog breeds are
terriers, but if you love your fuzzies, you will NOT bring a terrier into
their home unless you are absolutely certain there is NO way the two will
ever meet in an unsupervised situation.
 
In other words, if there is a chance a ferret might escape from its
confines, (imagine that) while you aren't home, and the dog is in the next
room... I would say that is putting your ferrets' lives at risk.
 
Melissa Barnes
Mira, Tasha, Robin, Nietzsche, Samurai and O'Dell
Emma the scotty
Missing Cael, Booboo and Our puppy, Lady Meaghan
McTavish II always
[Posted in FML issue 3706]