My first memories of Yod He Vawhe, or "Yods"(pronounced like "modes") was when we met his owner to release in a parking lot in Chesapeake, near the NC border. She was moving to Alaska and was getting rid of her ferrets - three she couldn't find homes for because of behavior problems. Yod He Vawhe, Dijon and Pele were their names - two black roan mitts and a sable. Yod He and Dijon were brother and sister and couldn't be separated - but Dijon bit hard, so no one wanted them. Pele was a slight sable girl who no one chose. She opened up the carrier and I remember seeing these black, bright eyed ferrets with impossibly and equally black noses! They were 7 months old - picked up on May 21, 1994. Yod He Vawhe was an outgoing, personable ferret who never met a person he didn't like. He quickly, along with the others, fit into my house. I adopted these three from the shelter for my own. Yod He loved stairs and the great outdoors, enjoyed going for walks and took readily to a leash. We also found him to be an escape artist - he was quick to dash out, and the open faced stairs of our condo were no match for his talents. He decided on the coldest day of the year in 1995 to venture out during an ice storm. He went down 3 flights of stairs, through the parking lot, across a street and into a retirement community's parking lot, where he must have then decided it was too cold and turned on his charm to get people. It worked. He was picked up and taken to a vet where I was able to get him back. He went to his first show in 1995 - and we ended his "career" in November 1997 - a Grand Champion by one standard and a Bronze Tier by anothers' - but the ribbons never mattered as much to me as he did - he was my buddy, my friend and a constant companion. He loved the boat trips on the Cape May - Lewes Ferry, and won the hearts of many travelers with his big, black nose and kisses. He has his own "First time sailor certificate" from the ferry and the stairs were his favorite. He had an elusive quality - "face appeal" that the normal reaction was "aww he's soo cute!". He was a "star" in the video, "Kids against Rabies", put out by the Virginia Beach Environmental Health Department. He was on TV, during a pet fashion show. He was one of the furry stars in the Virginia Beach SPCA's Celebrity Fashion show and silent auction, benefiting the SPCA. He loved people, and everywhere he went, people loved him, too. He was a ferret ambassador, an extrovert with love and kisses for everyone. Yod He developed adrenal gland disease in December 1997 - right side. Debulked as best as they could, but didn't regain his hair. He was put on Lysodren in January 1998, with good results. December 1, 1998, we did another adrenal surgery and this time it was a success. His hair almost immediately began to regrow. He was himself again - happy, playing and active. I let him outside on a balmy day in late December, to see how he had done it - the stairs. He blithely hopped down the steps to the second floor, where he found some flower pots with dirt in them - then he jumped in and started digging happily - suddenly he wasn't a silver anymore - he was all black and very proud of it. He suddenly became ill on January 15, 1999 - and was taken to the vet. We tried our best, but it wasn't meant to be - Yod He must have been done here, and had places to go yet. He left me on January 16, 1999 at 8:00 pm. Its hard to imagine how much I miss that little boy. His persona, his cuteness, his lovingness, his kisses. He left a huge whole in my heart by leaving. I can't believe that he is gone and that I will no longer see him wardance or feel his charm. I keep looking into the cage that he shared with Dijon expecting to see two black noses and two pairs of black eyes peeking out of the hammock, not just one. Yod He, my friend, my companion - I will see you again, I hope. You were the star that burned so brightly, but oh so briefly in the sky. And I will miss you - always. Yod He Vawhe - 10/28/1993 - 1/16/1999 Lisa, Head Ferret The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea" URL: http://www.kozykingdom.com/ferrethaven Want to help The Ferret Haven By-the-Sea? Register at iGive.com by cutting and pasting this link: http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?CID=1236&MID=854 [Posted in FML issue 2560]