Here is what I sent to the Calgary Herald with many thanks to Becky DeGeer who sent me the paper's letters address after my eyes tired too badly. Notice that the address is [log in to unmask] Begin forwarded message: >From: Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]> >Date: July 28, 2008 12:37:10 PM EDT >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: service animals and how our ferret saved my life > >Having had my life saved by a ferret I have to take exception to the >unwarranted assumptions expressed in your piece: > <http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/theeditorialpage/story.html?id:b7598b-db77-40fc-bf2f-7cc5c2e8c37c> > which began: >>We smell a rodent >>Calgary Herald >>Published: Sunday, July 27, 2008 >>The facts about service animals should be easy to ferret out -- the >>weasel-like creatures don't count. > >Ferrets, relatives of otters and weasels rather than of rats, are >affectionate and intelligent. > >In my own situation our furnace malfunctioned while my husband was out >on a morning walk. Hilbert, a very trustworthy ferret, was out of the >cage at the time. I was sleeping in and due to my asthma was beginning >to having breathing problems from the fumes. Hilbert climbed the bed >and gently and persistently kissed and nuzzled my face until I was >aware enough to force myself up, turn off the furnace, and vent our >home. My husband came home later to find us all huddled in the cold >but clean breeze from an open door. > >Although i had assumed that Hilbert merely saved me from a nasty >asthma attack my physician said that he more likely saved my life >and that of the other household pets as well as his own. > >I've read of 4 or 5 times when ferrets alerted humans to house fires >and in doing so saved their families. > >Ferrets have been used by at least two people for seizure alert >animals warning them in time before seizures so that they could take >their medications and lie down in a safe place to avoid falls. See >these two references: > > http://www.extremeweezils.com/ewfriends.html#cerino > > <http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/media/critter-news/legal-news/ferrets-cause-eviction.aspx.pdf> > >Furthermore, ferrets helped bring a little autistic boy out of his >shell in which he was trapped. References: > > http://www.modernferret.com/pressreleases/sean.html > > http://www.wolfysluv.com/seanval.html > > http://www.wolfysluv.com/bb.html > >Additionally, ferrets have often been noted as having been used as >animal visitors to help bring joy and wonder to patients in nursing >homes and hospitals. Here is a piece by a veterinarian who has a >ferret who serves people in this way but this is far from a solitary >situation since I've known several such ferrets personally and have >read of a number more: > > <http://en.allexperts.com/q/Ask-Veterinarian-700/Ferrets-continuing-care-facilities.htm> > >Now, I don't know if her ferrets really do help that woman with her >agoraphobia. They might. The person who would have enough knowledge to >decide would be a mental health professional familiar with her case, >not a newspaper editor nor a transit employee. > >If the many ways ferrets have helped people are not services then I >don't know what is! Not all service animals are dogs, plain and simple. > >Sukie Davis Crandall Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 6046]