I saw something pretty upsetting this morning while I was walking my dog. Either scenario I've pictured in my mind is pretty bad. I live in an apartment complex of numerous buildings. Just beyond the last building is a trash area, a fenced in spot with a bunch of dumpsters. Lazy people always seem to put their trash next to the dumpsters instead of in them. This morning when I went in the gate with a pooper-scooper bag, something to the left of the last dumpster caught my eye. It was a three level ferret cage, just like mine except not coated. There was old, dirty newspaper on the bottom level, a water bottle lying on its side on the paper, and some PVC tubes zip-tied to various spots inside. On top of the cage was a small carrier. Inside the carrier was a white towel with ferret poop on it. On the towel was a tube of Nutrical, a prescription bottle (I was afraid to reach in to see what or whose it was), and a handful of business cards from Dr. Charles Weiss' office. Next to the carrier, also on top of the cage, was a corner litter box, a food bowl, leashes, collars, and toys. I was so upset. My first thought was that the owner had let the ferret go and just threw all its stuff away. I started looking around the dump area, thinking that maybe the ferret was nearby. My second thought was that the ferret had a pretty bad case of adrenal disease (because of Dr. Weiss' cards) and that it must have died. I can't explain how sad this made me feel. I'm thinking that if the items are still there when I get home from work tonite, I'm going to gather them up, clean them really good, and donate them to a shelter. I want something good to come out of this, since inevitably the end of the ferret was not good. ===== Aileen & the Herd minus two Herdlings Slinky, Kyle, Noel, & Rootie the beagle Fresh from the pain of losing Sandy. We love you, sweetheart. Still missing Gizmo. We love you, too, baby. Check out the Herd's website at: http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Zoo/7414/index.html [Posted in FML issue 3211]