Having read all the posts in support of both Alex and Dann, as well as
those who oppose their addition of Todd to the family, I feel the need
to respond. For, of all the posters here, I think I am the only one who
has actually spent many hours in the home of my friends. I have visited
in the home of the Noble Allis Chompers, have had Puma hang from my
nose and been pooped on by France, the frickin' pygmy hedgehog and
shared in Ping Is He's exuberance. While there my ferrets have run free
in the presence of Allis and explored the Colburn household. The open
floorplan is ideal for keeping an eye on all and Allis is the most
obedient canine I have ever met. She has her special place and I have
never once witnessed her make an aggressive move toward any ferret.
What happened to Ping was an accident. I know of people who have lost
ferrets due to carelessness. And, after Alex and Dann lost their last
ferret to a dog attack, I was concerned. But, that was before I met
them - back when they were online friends, not the kind who have you in
their home. I always thought that accidents were preventable. I thought
that anyone who lost a ferret to an accident was just irresponsible.
That was before I realized that you cannot keep a ferret in a bubble
any more than you can your child. They need to have freedom to be
themselves. And, I have learned that I can take precautions to prevent
most accidents. I can inspect each clothes item as I put it in the
washer and then in the dryer. I can look thoroughly through the
dishwasher before closing the door, I can tape up all the openings
around pipes in the wall and put a screen over the dryer vent to keep
a ferret from escaping. But, I can't assure that I will not make a
mistake when I am tired and on my way to bed. Or that I will always
remember to attend to every little detail. I blink - and sometimes that
is all it takes.
You have heard me say that my first ferret, Sammy, survived by the
grace of God. He found holes in screens I didn't know were there and
escaped to the outdoors on a regular basis. He would walk beside me
without a leash on our outdoor trips. He found his way into the wall
and got into EVERYTHING! Odie, my escape artist, takes years off my
life daily! I swear he can dematerialize and rematerialize elsewhere.
I am so grateful that I have not lost one without knowing his outcome.
Gandalf died in an accident and I felt horrible. I would have done
anything to change the outcome. Yet, up until the moment it happened
I had no idea it was going to happen. It was an accident. Accidents
happen. And, if we could see them coming, we would prevent them.
In pain I have said and done things I would not normally do. In
disappointment I have said and done things I would not normally do. And
I am sure that the Noble Allis Chompers did the same. She was in pain
and she was disappointed. I have seen her get excited. I have seen her
with Ping and Puma. I have seen her with MY ferrets and you know what?
I would let my ferrets run free with Allis now. You may say that I am
irresponsible. Those who know me will tell you I am not. I am tedious
to a fault when it comes to the security of my ferrets - I learned by
making errors and having my ferrets survive anyway.
So, you may want to think of Alex and Dann as irresponsible, but until
you have walked in their shoes, I suggest you not do so. Instead,
take a look at YOUR home and practices and ferrets and see how many
accidents are waiting to happen in your home. Ask yourself if you are
taking a calculated risk in anything you do. And ask yourself if you
are going to allow your ferret to be happy and experience risk or
miserably safe in a bubble. I want my ferrets to be happy and have a
better quality of life.
When my daughter was young, she wanted to be an astronaut and I
encouraged her to follow her dream. Someone asked me how I could
encourage her to do that when it could kill her. My response, I would
rather have her die doing something she loved than regret the life
she was living because she never tried.
Had Allis not been forgotten, disappointed and in pain, she would not
have hurt Ping. And, Allis probably did not intend to do so. I will
hug Allis the next time I see her and I will allow my ferrets to
run through her room. And, I know that Alex and Dann, who both feel
terrible about the accident, will take extra precautions to insure that
this does not happen again. And, they will be great parents to Todd and
Puma. I am so glad that love is bigger than I am.
--
Renee Downs
"Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem we
destroy ourselves." Jonas Salk
"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets
the credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
[log in to unmask]
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org
[Posted in FML 6087]
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