Good Morning All, I have many foster moms and dads and it is especially difficult for them when they loose their "babies" - the ones they chose to care and love for me during, what is unfortunately, the last months of their too-short lives. Most are elderly and most of those suffering from one or more minor illnesses. Most foster ferrets are just elderly and left at the shelter when their previous owners would not or could not care for them any longer. We are having a bad year this year as most of our fosters are slowly fading away and passing to the Bridge. And, one of these wonderful owners, Amber, lost her precious Sassy yesterday. Sassy was one of 21 ferrets that came to us last February from the shelter in Michigan that took in multitudes of ferrets from an upper Michigan rescue whose operator suffered a sudden stroke last and had to close, last October. These kids endured two ice storms and a two-month sabbatical at a shelter in Iowa (??) and then had a short-stay at a rescue in Kentucky because of the ice storm that prohibited us from traveling to pick them up at the rendezvous point. Sassy and Red were two little elderly girls that were very closely bonded to each other. One did not go anywhere without the other. Sassy was diagnosed with inoperable cancer last month and she put up a heroic fight for her foster mom. Sassy is remembered by her foster mom, Amber: "Sassy was black, white, and tan. She had the cutest mask over her face. She was a very laid-back kind of little girl. She loved Red very much and Red loved her. They were inseparable. She would spend many days laying in her favorite hammock cuddled up to her best friend, Red. She had an attitude when she did not get her way. The one thing tat sticks in my head and will always be in my heart is laying and running around with the girls. I cherish my memories of putting Sassy on my bed and rubbing the blankets on her back to ruff up her fur and having her pop up out of the blanket on her hind legs all puffy biting my toes and fingers. She gave me the sweetest kisses! And I got them often. I buried her earthy body in my grandmother's backyard where I can always go and visit and talk to her. I buried her with my love and a piece of my heart. She leaves her BFF and sister, Red, who misses her terribly. Red searches for her constantly and I swear has a tear in her eyes knowing her bestest friend is gone. She is also loved and missed by my friend, Chris. Sassy would try to climb up Chris' pant leg when he came over to visit me and the girls." Please No. 421, make sure Skye finds this little one at the Bridge and keep her with the Raisins crew until her foster mom, Amber, can come and claim her when that time comes. She really really needs friends until her BFF, Red, arrives and then both ladies can wait for their foster (and forever) mom comes to claim them both and cross. These girls are the first pets Amber has owned on her own. The other pets were owned by the family as a whole. Now, I need to convince Amber, when that time comes, to select another fuzzie to love and care for. I only hope that little Miss Red will accept another friend to cuddle up with. And, I hope Amber will find the strength to love again. Right now, she says she can't endure the pain....but we all feel that way when we lose one. But somehow, someway, our heart opens yet again to love one more..... Respectfully submitted, Maren Qualls Raisins From Heaven Hernando, MS [Posted in FML 6879]