The weather was beautiful this weekend for the annual Mardi Gras parades and I decided to take Tataille out and see how he would react to the crowds, sounds, smells, and sights. Other than playing in the grass outside the apartment a few times, he has never been outside for very long. I've only had him a few months, and was worried about him getting scared, nervous, sick, loose, whatever. Anyway, I put the harness on, and brought him with me. He was WONDERFUL. I underestimated the attention he would get. I'd bet at least 500 people felt the need to pet him, mostly kids. Reactions ranged from extreme fear (wouldn't come near us) to hugs and kisses that left lipstick on his nose! I couldn't walk 10 feet without cries of "look a ferret" from people. It surprised me how few people knew what kind of animal he was. Many people guessed weasel, mongoose, mink, racoon, etc. (someone guessed turtle, but I suspect they had been drinking quite a bit.) The most asked question (other than "what is it?") was "does he bite?". Tataille LOVED the attention, even after two hours of being held. I suspected he would tire out, but never even yawned as long as people were about. I was worried about him soiling my shirt, but he restrained himself until we got back to my office (near the parade route) and promply 'dirtied' the corner. In the car on the way home, he 'passed out' on the passenger seat, legs in the air tired. Once home, he crawled on the couch next to me and curled up to sleep. Next weekend I think we will try a visit to the park. :Ø) [Just watch out for big dogs...] Brian (and Tataille) Brian K. Dore' Internet : [log in to unmask] Systems Analyst U.S. Mail : PO Box 42770 Computing Center Lafayette, LA 70504 University of Southwestern LA Telephone : (318) 231-6868 [Posted in FML issue 0224]