Hi FML!  THis is Elizabeth, daughter of Bonehead and bone loving Bob.  I
haven't posted for awhile, but I just wanted to tell you about Dad and Jet.
By now I'm sure you have heard that Jet has died.
 
Dad is the most anal guy I've ever met when it comes to recording data.  He
has books that record my weight from birth until I told him it was none of
his business a couple of years ago.  He writes down everything.  And he does
it for his ferrets too.  Every week he lines them up on a scale, uses a fat
caliper to measure the fat on their belly, checks their eyes and ears and I
swear he looks into their butt.  I've watched him lift their tail.  They are
used to it.  This is almost a religious thing with him, and he even makes
someone else do it while he is gone, and will call up and make us give him
the figures over the phone.  Like I said, hes anal about it.
 
I think that is the only reason he caught Jets problem so fast, or at least
thats what the vet told me.  Dad is so careful about his ferrets, and he was
really upset that he missed Jet starting to get sick.  You should have seen
him.  He put Jet under his t-shirt and next to hs skin, then put on three
sweatshirts and a jacket before he would take her outside.  After she had
surgery, he waited next to her until she woke up.  Of cource, he did the
same for me when I was hurt last year (he stayed next to me for more than a
week!), and when Andy had his appendix out last summer.  Dad stayed up all
night to take care of her after surgery, and he had me spend the night on
the futon to help him out.
 
When Jet got sick and just about stopped breathing, dad gave her mouth to
mouth all the way to the vet, which took about 40 minutes.  He said that as
long as her heart was beating, he would support her and he would breath into
her again.  Finally she started to breathe on her own, and about that time
the vet arrived.  It was like 5 am or something.  The vet and dad got oxygen
on Jet, and she came around.  Dad thanked the vet for saving Jets life, but
the vet told me dad did all the saving.
 
Jet got better and even ate some, but was very weak.  Dad never went to
sleep or left her.  He stayed up all last night as well, but this time, he
couldn't help Jet through it and she died.  He thanked Dr. Greg and then put
Jet under his jacket to take home.  On the way home, Jet peed on dad and Dad
teared up, but he didn't move her.  I think this afternoon dad is taking Jet
to have her autopsied.
 
Dad never admits to having favorites, but Jet did.  She loved dad and would
run at top speed and jump into his arms.  She followed dad everywhere, and
would even sleep next to him when dad snozed on the futon.  If dad wasn't
paying attention to her, she would nip the inside of his arm, or climb
inside his shirt.  She loved to put her nose into dads ear which drove him
up the wall.  She would always ride around on dads shoulder.  She was very
smart, and dad had taught her to fetch those golf balls with holes in them,
to stand up and to roll over.  I think dad is going to miss her very much.
 
I just wanted you all to know that even though dad spouts numbers and
writes all that science stuff, he has a heart too.  And he really loves
his ferrets.  Thanks for being his friend.
 
Elizabeth, chief pooper scooper and ferret chaser.
[Posted in FML issue 2239]