Oregon Ferret Shelter

Robin Williams (Surprise!) Hates Ferrets

2011-12-23T10:32:00.001-08:00

The new big news is that Robin Williams hates ferrets.

http://www.contactmusic.com/news/robin-williams-hates-ferrets_1278922

Am I the only one who isn't surprised by this? As far back as I can remember, Robin Williams has not struck me as the type who would get along with animals. He is jittery, loud, and in constant motion -- things that are great if you are a rodeo clown or are trying to entertain people with very short attention spans. But not so good if you want to be around animals. Animals don't like people who constantly demand their attention in a creepy and freaky way. And that's how Williams makes his living.

I don't think that supreme narcissist Robin Williams would even be interested in owning a pet -- ANY pet -- especially one as curious and independent as a ferret. According to every source on record, including his own on-stage confessions, Williams needs high levels of bizarre stimuli to enjoy himself. Not for Williams are the gentle and subtle joys of ferret ownership. I'll bet that Williams wouldn't even notice a ferret in his room unless that ferret came with six kilos of cocaine and a dozen 14-year-old Guatemalan whores of indeterminate gender.

So really, I'm not surprised that he doesn't like ferrets. All mention of hermaphroditic pedophilia aside, Robin Williams just isn't the type of person we'd want around ferrets. So maybe it's best that he doesn't like them. It's safer that way.

ThinkGeek is great for Xmas gifts!

2011-11-27T15:36:00.001-08:00

ThinkGeek is a great site hosted by great people. If you have a smart and curious loved one to buy for, you should look here first. And yes, ferrets love the stuff that these guys sell. Seriously, I have a bunch of their stuff under my bed because of Tekkie, the technology-loving ferret. When I get stuff in, she takes it the first chance she gets unless we put it on top of the bookshelf. And even then, it's risky because the ThinkGeek goodies are JUST THAT AWESOME!

As you can see in the screen capture above, some of the people who shop at ThinkGeek also own ferrets. (Surprisingly, the Zombie-based pic above is not mine. We mostly buy Star Trek and Star Wars stuff, with a sprinkle of Doctor Who and random geek items in the mix.) The screen capture is an action shot of the Dismember-me Plush Zombie. If you want to get a Dismember-me Zombie of your own, you can find the zombie at http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/ac4a/?srp=1. The above ferret-filled page can be seen at: http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/ac4a/action/215aa9f/

Why do we love ThinkGeek so much? And why are we mentioning it on an Oregon Ferret Shelter blog? What do they have to do with us?

Well, a few years ago, a very nice representative of ThinkGeek, Shane Peterman, donated five shirts to our Weasels Dancing in the Park fundraiser. We haven't forgotten his kindness.

In appreciation for his donation, every chance we get, we recommend ThinkGeek to everyone we know. We hope to return his kindness a thousandfold.

One of ThinkGeek's donations was the Princess Bride shirt pictured here, with the name tag, "Hello my name is Inigo Montoya..."

You can still buy this shirt at ThinkGeek. It is awesome -- I still wear mine all the time. http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/popculture/9f70/?srp=1

And I know this article is messy with all the links. But I thought that people would probably like to know where they were being redirected to (ya can't be too careful!).

So, happy shopping!

Artist Deva Kolb and the Gigantic Xmas Bag!

2011-11-16T20:20:00.001-08:00

Deva Kolb, ferret-centric artist and fellow shelter supporter, has alerted everyone on the Ferret Mailing List to the presence of a particularly attractive gift bag, available on eBay.
Take a look at the collection of winsome weasel wonders!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230702314915
Yep, it's got everything you need to explore your ferret side, including a 13-inch musical dancing ferret that sings Jingle Bell Rock until your ears bleed. But the best part? She also filled this bag with all sorts of her original artwork: a laminated poster of the Ferret Celtic Tree of Life, a Three Ferret Teapots poster with accompanying poem (also laminated), and best of all -- a 2012 Ferret clip art CD with over 250 high resolution drawings made by Deva herself! Anyone who has tried to find ferret artwork knows what an incredible hassle it is to find anything suitable. This is truly a gem!
Go forth and bid now! The profits from this bag go to benefit a ferret shelter. And if you give the contents of the bag to another ferret shelter, then you've helped a MULTITUDE of carpet sharks! Think of the karma!
(Santa Hat ferret is from last year's clip art CD. Thanks go to Deva for the use of her artwork!)

Shelters Fill Up Fast When "Animal People" Meet "Non-Animal People"

2011-11-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

I remember going over to my friend's new house. She had just moved in with her new boyfriend and her 16-year-old cat, who was left over from her previous relationship that had ended in divorce. My friend, L___, and her cat, Miranda, had lived through a lot together over the years, and Miranda was a great source of comfort to L___ as she endured her heartbreaking situation.

I was excited to see L___ with her new boyfriend, J___. I had been told he "wasn't much of a cat person", but as long as she was happy, I was thrilled for her.

When I arrived, Miranda was at the door. Of course I let her in with me. I was surprised that she was outside at all. They were in a new neighborhood, and you don't put a 16-year-old cat outside in an unfamiliar place. At their age and fitness level, they just don't have the knowledge or skill to find shelter or safety from hazards like dogs or cars. I know L___ knew that -- when she moved to her apartment after the divorce, she called to ask me about the "butter on the feet" trick of introducing a cat to a new place. I figured Miranda must have somehow sneaked out when nobody was looking, like she always tried to do when I cat-sat for her.

Miranda galloped over to the couch and waited for me to sit. She swiftly jumped up on my lap, and I petted her soft silky fur as I had done a million times before. She was so affectionate, sweet, and smart, really a one-in-a-million kind of cat.

Suddenly, I heard J___'s voice: "Is that damn cat inside again?"

I looked at Miranda, and I saw the fear and sadness in her eyes. With some surprise, I said, "Yes. She's just on the couch with me, saying hello."

"Oh! I didn't know you were here already." J___ came out from the kitchen, along with my friend.

"We don't allow her inside during dinner anymore," said L___. "J___ doesn't like her on the counter. He says it's not sanitary." I looked around and realized that there was no food in sight. Dinner was at least an hour away. It was a very creepy moment.

"Oh," I said. "Well, I'll put her out in a little bit, when we're ready to eat, OK?" I could see very well that J___ did NOT think that was OK, but he felt like he couldn't deny me, a guest in his home -- at least not in front of L___.

"That's fine." Back into the kitchen he went, with L___a following soon thereafter.

I looked over at Miranda, and I remember this very piercing moment when I realized that my friend was more than willing to sacrifice her companion of 16 years to placate this new man in her life. I looked into Miranda's eyes, and I said, "It looks like there's no room for you here anymore. I wonder when they are going to run out of room for me too."

Less than a month later, Miranda had been hit and killed by a car. I remember my friend crying hysterically on the phone. I asked her if I could come over, that I knew how horrible it is to lose a pet, and that I wanted to help her. And she answered, "No, J___ has everything taken care of. I'm fine."

Indeed, J___ did have everything taken care of. Just the way he wanted it.

At the shelter, we hear stories about J___s everywhere. How people happily have their ferrets, then they suddenly meet someone who "just isn't a ferret person." Then the ferrets show up at the OFS. Sometimes they are starved. Sometimes they are crippled. Usually they have major trust and abandonment issues. Sometimes one or more of them have met with "unfortunate accidents" and the loving owner is just trying to save the rest. Maybe they think the worst is over when the “animal problem” is gone. Unfortunately for the people in these relationships, usually the abuse has just begun.

People like J___ may or may not stop their abusive and controlling ways after the animals are gone. Sometimes the L___s of the world have to experience their spouse's anger firsthand to know what a terrible danger they live with.

I'm not saying that everyone who doesn't like animals is abusive or a bad person. But if you have animals, and your boyfriend or girlfriend treats them poorly, you should let that be a warning to you not to get more involved with them or, at the very least, never to become dependent upon them.

By the way, my friendship with L___ has come to an end. They married this year, and even though she makes pleasant noises at me in emails, I know that J___ will always be in the background -- disapproving of my animal-rescuing ways, ready to turn L___ against yet another part of her support system. And that's OK. The first thing you learn in the animal rescue field is that, heartbreaking as it is, you can't save everyone.

I joined Fab.com and found the pEi Pod

2011-10-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

So I joined Fab.com. They have lots of gorgeous modern furniture and stuff that has crazy funky designs. I read it because I never know what will inspire me to do good art for the ferrets.

So what do I see today? The PRECIOUS PRECIOUS egg pet bed! They are adorable! They come in various colors and animals seem to love them.

What's the catch? The price. They retail for $129. Fab.com has them on sale for $79. But even at that significantly discounted price, I still can't justify buying one. I just think of all the homeless furry faces and how that $129 can buy more than a week's worth of food for the almost 200 ferrets at the Oregon Ferret Shelter.

So, no pEi Pod (the cool name for the egg-shaped bed) for my furkids. But I hope whoever gets one is happy with their purchase. Here is the link for their products http://www.peipod.com. Enjoy!

Oh, and here is the link for our donations (in case I guilted you just enough to give a few bucks): http://www.oregonferretshelter.org/donations.htm

Halloween Costume Contest Fun!

2011-10-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

Aperture Science: We do what we must because we can

And what we can do is make a Companion Cube costume for our ferret!

Our little girl, Millie, may have cataracts and be blind, and she also may have no tail (it had a chordoma and had to be removed), but she makes an excellent companion. And how better to showcase her companion-y talents than to make her a Companion Cube to cuddle in.

Millie thoroughly enjoyed her turn at the Oregon Ferret Shelter's annual Costume Contest. Even though she didn't win or place, she still had a wonderful time in her custom-made snuggler.

While every other ferret fought to get out of their costume (no matter how adorable they looked!), Millie curled right up in hers and fell asleep. In fact, she had to be woken up a total of four times for the judging. Apparently, I made it TOO comfortable.

More pictures of the event, including pictures of the ferrets who actually won the event, will be up on our website soon after I resolve some technical difficulties. I found out that Slide.com will be closing down, and I have to find another place for our photo slideshows to be hosted. It's always somethin', eh?

In the meantime, Happy Halloween!

Triple F Farms and PETA -- someone has to help

2011-09-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

I watched this video earlier today. PETA went undercover to expose the conditions at Triple F Farms, a well-known ferret breeder. I am still reeling from watching their video.

http://www.peta.org/features/investigation-exposes-cruelty-at-ferret-mill.aspx

Be warned -- the video contains graphic horrible pictures.

I was talking with my husband. I was very upset. Seeing these things reached deep into my heart. I felt very angry and helpless.

And I asked him, "People, the bastards, are going to do these gruesome terrible things. They do them even when it doesn't gain them anything to do so. They even lose money when they perpetuate these cruelties, and they STILL do them. What can one person do to stop them?"

He said that I could post it to my blog, that maybe someone would read it and write the CDC (like the link on PETA's page asks them to do). Or maybe someone would put some words in the right ear and bring the whole operation under inspection. Who knows -- maybe someone with power will help.

So if you are that person, or you know someone who could be that person, go to it! Or tell me who to talk to. Because someone has to help.

Oregon Ferret Shelter celebrates 26 years of service

2011-05-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 14th, the Oregon Ferret Shelter celebrated its 26th year as a shelter for homeless and abandoned ferrets. Many volunteers and fans of ferrets showed up to show their appreciation for this Oregon City, OR, community resource.

To commemorate their years of service, a lovely cake was presented to Dave and Chris Mathis, the owners and operators of the shelter. Stephanie Whiteside and her family donated the cake as a token of their gratitude. Stephanie's ferret, Dookie, was also happy to put his paw of approval to the donation.

About 50 pounds of food was donated as "birthday presents" for the shelter inhabitants. This is about half of what the shelter needs for a full week of feeding the resident animals; typically, the shelter uses 90 pounds of food per week. Several types of ferret food were donated, including the shelter favorites of Totally Ferret and Zupreem.

Stephanie Whiteside and her family also brought a great present for all attending ferrets: tiny party hats! Each ferret was given a paper cone hat with a little piece of elastic to wear. Although few ferrets wanted to keep theirs on for pictures, there were some fuzzy kids who managed to get their photos taken. Many thanks go to the Whitesides for their wonderful sense of humor and their generosity. (A small note here: Never let your ferret play unsupervised with elastic or anything that is easily swallowed and not easily digested.)

Chris Mathis was deeply moved by the donations and seemed overwhelmed with gratitude. She would like to thank each and every person who came out to help the shelter celebrate their years of community service. She also extends an invitation to all people who love ferrets to come to the shelter's meetings, which are open to the public and are held on the second Saturday of each month. To see when the next meeting is scheduled, please go to the Oregon Ferret Shelter's website at:

http://www.oregonferretshelter.org/news.htm

Chris would also like to mention that this upcoming weekend, the Oregon Ferret Shelter will be at the Beaverton Farmer's Market for their Animal Welfare Day. The booth will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For further information, please go to the following link for the Beaverton Farmer's Market.

http://www.beavertonfarmersmarket.com/newsletters/BFMmay2/newsletter.html

Post with your name or at least a nickname

2011-02-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

If you want to post, use a name or a nickname. I hate all of you pissy whiny jerks who post nasty anti-ferret notes anonymously. You can all die in a gigantic bonfire. If you don't have the guts to back up your comments, then go slink off into your pile of offal and stink up some other place.

Seriously, why do I even have to tell people that they have to be nice on this board? Do people really have nothing better to do than anonymously post on a pro-ferret board? Really. If I ever find out who did that, there will be some hell to pay.

Oh, and if you have a problem with this and call it "censorship", I would like to remind you to FUCK OFF. Yes, this isn't a public forum. You don't have "the right to be anti-ferret" or whatever stupid rhetoric the animal abusers are using as an excuse nowadays. This is a place for people who love ferrets to talk about their pets. So go somewhere else.

Elvis: My New Ferret Friend

2011-01-18T14:16:00.001-08:00

When you are fostering a new ferret, you get to meet someone entirely new, someone who looks at your house in an entirely new way. And so it is with Elvis, our newest foster guy.

Elvis has been here recuperating from his tumor removal surgery for a little more than a week.

Today, I let him out by himself. He tootled around the house a bit, looking at all the places where the other ferrets store their toys and treats. Then he came over to me.

He very carefully crawled up on the couch next to me. Then he sniffed around my ear, and started licking it! Then he eagerly started licking my face!

I was so shocked and pleased that I started giggling. And, of course, when you get the Giggles, it's hard to stop. But Elvis seemed to like that.

Next, he surfed down the blanket onto the floor, where he turned on his back and looked up at me. It seemed to be a cue for something. I tried tickling his belly -- no, that wasn't it. I thought, "He remembers that he used to do something with his human, and he expects me to do it too. I wish I knew what it was."

That is some of the saddest part of adopting older ferrets (Elvis is 4): seeing the pieces of their previous life that they bring to you. I wish that when people dropped off their ferrets, they would give a list of what their favorite things are, their tricks, their moods, and their favorite toys. That way, we wouldn't have to guess what the ferret wants when he looks up so eagerly at us. We would know.

Axe Shampoo: Animal Lovers or Axe-holes?

2010-12-10T17:23:00.000-08:00

In the fall of 2010, an Axe Shampoo commercial appeared on local network television. It did not show ferrets in a very good light.
The commercial shows a man next to a woman at a gym, working out on treadmills and flirting a bit. Then another man turns on a fan, which starts blowing on the couple.
Dirt and grime starts to fly out of the man’s hair. The grime hits various patrons of the gym at high velocities.
Suddenly, a fake ferret detaches from the guy’s hair and flies across the room to hit a weightlifter in the crotch. Then the shot changes to the floor, where a young ferret (it looks like almost a baby ferret -- it still has that soft baby fur) is walking on the floor.
Next, you see the guy shampooing with Axe Shampoo. Then, in the sauna (Who goes in the sauna AFTER you shampoo and shower? You'd just get sweaty and stinky again. Dumbasses.), the woman is rubbing his hair in a sensual way. You hear: “Lose the grime. Get touchably clean hair with Axe Shampoo and get some hair action.”
From this, we are supposed to surmise: Ferrets are stinky animals that smell like sweaty man-crotches, having this smell is like throwing dirt in strangers’ faces, and covering up ferret smell with Axe will get you laid. Oh, and throwing baby animals is funny and safe.
Axe’s parent company, Unilever, says that they are “committed to the elimination of animal testing.” They want us to believe they care about animals.
What do you think? Do you think they love animals? Let Unilever know how you feel about this anti-ferret message by contacting them at: http://www.unilever.com/resource/Contactform/?WT.LHNAV=Contact_form.

Someone called the ASPCA

2010-11-24T12:21:00.001-08:00

So someone read my blog, but they didn't post to it or let me know what they were thinking. They felt compassion and righteous anger over the plight of shelter animals. They turned that feeling into action, which is a good impulse. But they didn't do the right good thing. Instead, they called the ASPCA and reported Chris Mathis, the shelter owner.
So the ASPCA came out and looked over the ferrets. And they gave the OK. Because, of course, all of the ferrets are well cared for, get regular exercise, have food and water, and clean bedding, and their litter boxes are cleaned regularly. No ferret ever goes hungry here, or has less-than-adequate housing. Ever.
The only thing they need? HOMES! Yes, HOMES! Loving caring homes where they can be held and cherished every day by someone bonded to them. That is the one thing we cannot provide -- the sense that they are a beloved part of a family. That's where you come in.
Seriously. If you want to help, don't call the authorities. Chris deals with them all the time. She knows all the people, and believe me, if there was ANYTHING bad going on at the shelter, they would come down on her like a frickin' hammer. LIKE A HAMMER!
Oregon has some very smart and dedicated animal control workers, and they work very hard to make animals safe here in Oregon. Chris is one of the good ones. That's why I am so very proud to be one of her volunteers.
Chris has a small but very loyal core of volunteers to help her. If you want to help those ferrets, call her at 503-557-8369 and join us. You can help in dozens of ways. You can help clean cages. You can trim fingernails. You can write an article for the newsletter about how much you love your ferret -- and send a picture of your ferret in too! You can make a ferret-based craft to sell at our Weasels Dancing in the Park auction. You can sew sleepy sacks or hammocks.
You can always get us stuff for the ferrets. You can go buy wood pellets at CBI feed in Redland. They are located at 17141 S Redland Rd. Their phone number is 503-925-8903. We can always use food that we purchase wholesale at West Coast Seed, 503-657-3473 (Zupreem Ferret Diet). We can use any type of ferret diet and even Costco's Maintenance Cat Food in the dark purple bag. Any ferret food is good -- we never know what a ferret will be eating when they come in, and it takes time to switch their diet over to the nutritious stuff.
There are probably a thousand other ideas I am just not thinking of at the moment, but maybe you can think of them and tell us in a response to this post.
Please, come be a part of this noble endeavor. Help us to help ferrets. Call Chris at 503-557-8369. If you want to make a REAL difference, call our number and don't call the ASPCA.
And if you REALLY REALLY want to help, come adopt a few of these guys. The best thing for them would be to get adopted. Read our materials, read "Ferrets for Dummies", read other books and stuff online about ferrets, then come and get a few. Ultimately, that's what we want for these guys -- to be adopted out to loving, knowledgeable homes who will never let them go. So prepare yourself, then come take a look at some of our kids in our Petfinder listings at http://tinyurl.com/OFSPetfinder. Then call for an appointment: 503-557-8369.

Argh. So many little guys.

2010-11-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

So I heard today that the shelter now has more than 200 little ferrets to feed. I went there to take some pictures. I have to start taking pictures quickly because if I stare over the rows and rows of furry heads for too long, I start to get freaked out.

While I was there, we had one return, two relinquishments, and one adoption. That's a three to one ratio of in to out. That can't be good. And this was just for a few hours.

After I went home and showered (cause photographing ferrets is sweaty work), I let out my own furkids to play. I have 10. I was wondering to myself if there was some way I could support more. Even though I KNOW we cannot afford more, I still ask myself that question every time I come home. It seems like I cannot possibly be doing enough.

OFS summer newsletter is HERE!

2010-10-12T15:13:00.001-07:00

Yay! I finally put up the electronic version!

http://www.oregonferretshelter.org/OFSNewsletterSummer2010.pdf

Whew! On to the next project!

Halloween! And Technical Difficulties!

2010-10-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

This month's meeting has been moved up to the 16th of October due to terribly sad circumstances (a funeral).
This is very sad.
But what is even sadder is my inability to let everyone know about this change. I am trying to piece together a emailing list from the various emails that have been sent to me. I wish I had not been so lazy until now -- having a working list of people invoved would have been a reeeeeeeally good idea.
So now I am wishing and hoping that I reach enough people in time.
If you are redaing this, and you haven't been told not to show up on the 9th, then I apologize.
There has got to be a better way...

BY THE WAY...
There is a Partylite Fundraiser coming up on November 5th. I'll be posting the flier for that online. Check our website's news page for further information.

http://www.oregonferretshelter.org/news.htm

Usually, most of the latest information can be found there. If it's not there, it means I am SWAMPED and will get to it as soon as possible.

Shelter Cleaning Day!

2010-09-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Although it is not the most glamorous part of rescue, Shelter Cleaning Day is a very important part of animal shelter work. It's that one day a year where everyone you can find will get together and help clean out the built-up crud around the shelter walls, cages, and floor. It is a vital part of the process, especially since some ferrets can be so sensitive to allergens (just like humans, sometimes you get a ferret with allergies).

Shelter Cleaning Day can also wreak havoc on your arms, legs, and butt, especially if you are not in shape (I am not) and if you aren't used to using a power washer (again, I am not). Even now, the Tuesday after, my butt still wants to know why we thought we could spend nine hours power washing and cleaning walls. I can't really answer that except to say that SOMEONE had to! Next time, perhaps, someone ELSE can be that "someone".

Included in this post are some pix I snapped while we were there. Look at the beautiful blue sky in the background of the third picture! At least the weather was perfect for it. We were lucky to get as much done as we did -- the next day, it poured rain. (Typical Oregon weather)

Many heartfelt thanks go out to all of the people who were there to help out. Your efforts were greatly needed and appreciated.

HR 669

2010-06-16T16:43:00.001-07:00

Some of my friends are really upset with HR 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. I am pretty upset too. It has the potential to make ferrets illegal everywhere. I really want to follow the law. I hate breaking it -- I am a natural goody two-shoes (which is why I work for charities). But if this bill passes, it's going to make me into a criminal because I am not willing to give up my ferrets.

(As an aside: Do lawmakers really have nothing better to do? Really? Cause they can call me and I'll give them stuff to do. Like sift through Haliburton's files and find exactly who made the decision to use substandard parts on ther oil rig to save money. Or, if that's too hard, they can clean up some cage poop. I know they made this bill because someone's GIGANTIC DANGEROUSLY ANGRY CHIMP WITH A HISTORY OF ATTACKING PEOPLE tore off a woman's face. But making every single animal in the United States illegal and then picking which ones should be legal? That is astonishingly stupid on levels rarely reached by mankind.)

As a Democrat, I wanted to know what Obama thought of it. It looks like the original bill was made by Democrats, so he might actually agree with it, even though it is supremely, profoundly stupid.

So, I thought maybe I'll give Obama the benefit of the doubt. He sounds like a rational man. And he seems to like animals. So I wrote him this letter:

I know that you have many huge issues occupying your mind. But I have a question about HR 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act, an act that outlaws almost every animal (with few exceptions) in the United States unless they make it through an "approval process" run by one person, “The Secretary”.
As a volunteer for the Oregon Ferret Shelter, I know literally thousands of people and animals whose fates rest upon your opinion of this legislation.
Do you approve of HR 669?
If you do, millions of animals' lives are at risk. I personally know many people who plan to leave the country if you sign this bill into law. They see their pets as family, and they are angry about having their families at risk of being killed. Very angry.
My friends are asking me to get your opinion. They are afraid that you will act like Rudy Giuliani and arbitrarily make millions of ferrets illegal across the country, forcing people to leave their homes and livelihoods in order to protect their pets. (Giuliani's actions are a matter of record.)
What is your opinion of this legislation? Will you sign it if it comes before you? We need to know.

No response yet. As soon as he sends me a response, I promise to post it up for you to see.

I miss Monsieur Ferret

2010-06-03T13:27:00.001-07:00

Monsieur Ferret was a really great guy who died last week. Even though he had a difficult case of Irritable Bowel Disease that made him almost impossible to adopt out, he was a huge sweetheart, kind and cuddly to everyone.

Monsieur was one of my shelter favorites. I first took to him because I was kind of sad that his owner had not given him a real name. (I mean, his name means "Mr. Ferret" in French, FFS.) Then, as I got to know Monsieur, I fell in love with his great personality and his winsome ways. I was sad that he needed so much extra care and medications because, in every other way, he was a low-maintenance, go-with-the-flow kind of guy.

I feel sad that he had to live at the shelter for so long. But I am glad that he got to meet so many people who grew to love him. I hope that he is happy now. If anyone deserves to be happy and free of pain, Monsieur does.

Borus the Snake

2010-05-17T15:06:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share this really strange picture I got of Borus, a 2-year-old chocolate guy at the shelter. He has all of his limbs, even though he looks like a snake in this picture.

How weird is that? My husband thought I'd Photoshopped it, but I didn't. I'm not sure how I captured him at just the right angle and time. It's just bizarre.

Pictures of Rainier

2010-05-17T13:42:00.001-07:00

I mentioned in a former post about how much I wished I had pics of Rainier before he got adopted by Mike and Janice.

Rainer was the ferret who had to have his collar surgically removed.

Lisa Harris heard the call and sent me some pictures she had taken. Yay!

You can see how well he has healed over. With a little time, all the fur will probably grow back. Then he'll be a normal little guy again.

I hope that Mike and Janice can bring him by for a visit soon. They are such good ferret parents.

Even though Rainier is healing well, don't forget the lesson this situation teaches: Do not leave a collar on your ferret that is too tight -- make sure you can get it off of him. In fact, you should not use a collar on your ferret at all except for special occasions, and then only if he or she is being supervised.

I know people are going to want to put collars on their ferret. I know it makes them look adorable. And you may think that it makes them easy to identify as pets and keeps them safe if they should escape. (And if we were talking about a dog or cat, or another larger or differently shaped animal, I would totally be there with you in advocating collar and tag usage.)

But a ferret is different. They are built differently. Their shape, so useful in slinking through burrows and getting into tight spots, makes it almost impossible to wear a collar without suffering damage.

If you want to keep your ferret safe, by far the best solution is to microchip and register them.

Arnie: A Severe Abuse Case (graphic photos)

2010-03-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

At our last meeting, Chris was apologizing for the state of her house.

"I didn't have time to clean today. I had to go to Salem and get this poor guy."

She was holding a little white ferret, wrapped in a towel, in her arms.

Chris told us that Animal Control found him in an apartment. The owners had moved out and left him behind. His cage was filthy, and he was covered in his own feces. He was skin and bones. It was a miracle that he lived long enough for her to go get him.

The worst thing?

"After I gave him a bath, I saw this."

She opened the towel, and there was a golf-ball sized tumor on his abdomen. It was right behind his penis. His skin was red and bleeding, and it looked infected (which wouldn't be surprising, considering his cage conditions).

"He needs a name."

"How about Arnie?" I said.

"Why Arnie?"

"Cause that's a tooomah," I said.

The little white ferret squinted his approval. And so he was named Arnie.

Little Arnie was paraded and passed around the room and given many many cuddles and pets. He loved all the attention. He was very sweet and gentle, in spite of the horrible treatment he had been given and the obviously painful tumor.

"This is where your raffle dollars are going tonight, "Chris told us. "All the money we earn from the raffle goes to his surgery tomorrow."

So we dug deeeeep.

"He's going in tomorrow, whether we have enough money or not," Chris said. "Well, if he makes it through the night."

We spent the whole evening cherishing this one ferret. It was terrible to think that his owners had just left him behind. We wondered if they knew he had a tumor and were just waiting for him to die, or if they had just not cared enough to notice. We wondered a lot of things.

Sadly, Arnie did not make it through the night. He went septic, and they could not save him.

But at least he got to have one night where he was the center of attention, loved on, held, and cherished. At least he didn't have to die alone.

Goodbye, Houdini

2010-03-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

We lost one of our shelter favorites last week. His name was Houdini.

Houdini was a mellow and loving pewter guy. He was so mellow and loving that he served as an ambassador ferret for quite some time. His last official gig as an ambassador was at the Northwest Pet Expo last year, and he was such a charmer! He was truly a shining star.

Houdini was a slim and gorgeous guy in spite of his senior status. He was easy to pick out of the crowd. He had a "Y" on his head. (Lin said it was for "Y not adopt me?") He was quite distinguished and handsome, being a sable tuxedo with very sharp headlights -- the clearest and best headlights I had ever seen. (Headlights are white spots on the knee, very desirable markings for ferrets.) He was also known for having a natural "smile", especially when he slept. (See pic)

Houdini had a lot of personality. This guy was a natural love: He was always friendly and loving toward people, and he was never aggressive in any way. He also was very playful and friendly with other ferrets, and he could wardance with the best of them.

Last year, when he was 4, he was retired from his ambassador job, but he still was called to serve on occasion. We were hoping that this very deserving guy would find a home to call his own. But he never did. Instead, he made the lives of the shelter volunteers a little bit brighter.

He was found in his sleepy sack last Wednesday, his customary smile still on his face. We'll miss you, Houdini. Sleep well, Little Man.

We have stuff on eBay!

2010-03-14T17:05:00.001-07:00

We're selling items on eBay!

eBay link here!

Lots of books! GO GET EM!

Calling all ferret shelters!

2010-02-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

CALLING ALL FERRET SHELTERS
Your help is needed immediately!!! We are working with Petco to get them to STOP carrying ferrets in their stores. We need numbers to present to them with of how many ferrets you have in shelter at this time. We need to give Petco a huge idea of the impact that they, as a retailer, are having on the shelters. We want them to have the mindset that ferrets are the third largest companion pet population in the USA! The reason they give for not selling puppies and kittens is that there are so many of them available in rescue! Well, they need to realize that there are many many ferrets in rescue too!
So here is a chance for you to help make a difference. Send me your current shelter numbers up for adoption and numbers of permanent residents that for some reason are not adoptable. How much did you spend in medical care for the ferrets? Did Petco give you any financial assistance for their care?
Thanks for taking the time to get this information back to me. I will need this information no later than February 23rd.
Please send all data directly to oregonferretshelter@comcast.net. Thank you!
Chris Mathis
Director, Oregon Ferret Shelter

MaryKate needs a home

2010-02-17T16:02:00.001-08:00

MaryKate is a little upset at being at the OFS for more than two years now. She would like a home with her friend, Ashley, please.

Rainer got a home! And new newsletter!

2010-02-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

At our Valentine's Day meeting, Rainer got a new home! Rainer was the ferret who had to have his collar surgically removed. Mike and Janice, two of the nicest and most responsible people you could ever meet, heard his story and adopted him on the spot. I only wish I had gotten more pictures of his face before they left!

Yay for Rainer!

Also, the newsletter for Winter has been released! Twelve lovely pages of stuff we did over Fall and Winter. Special bonus -- Santa Paws pictures! Very silly stuff.

Clicky clicky here for the newsletter!

Valentine's Day is coming up!

2010-02-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

We're having a big Valentine's Day event on Saturday, February 13th. Make a valentine for your ferret to put in the mix. We'll be exchanging them at the party. What kind of Valentine? Think back to grade school! Get out your crafty kits and safety scissors! Or buy Kermit the Frog ones at Walmart. However you want to do it is fine for us. Bring one Valentine for each one you want to take home.

Why you should never use a collar -- GRAPHIC!

2010-01-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

Some people think that all ferrets should wear collars, that a collar is the best way to identify them as a pet to the outside world. (Microchips are really the best, but the allure of a collar is that it can easily be seen and read without special equipment.) They believe that if your ferret should escape, a collar would keep people from thinking that your pet is a wild animal and reacting with fear and/or force. They also think that a collar could also tell everyone whom the ferret belongs to and thus help him or her find their way home.

As a cat owner, I see their point. I have collars on both of my cats and my dog. After all, until animals can speak, it is our job to give them a voice -- and a collar is a good way to provide it.

However, I don't put collars on my ferrets (well, except for very short periods of time, such as when I am taking them for a walk or to an outdoor event). I don't, and I won't.

Why?

1. My ferrets hate collars. If my pets are any indication, they would rather spend hours figuring out how to slough off a collar like a dead snakeskin than spend the time enjoying the outdoor scenery. A collar is a challenge, not an adornment. Mine take it personally when I give them a collar or harness, and if looks could kill, I would be a very dead person a thousand times over.

2. In order for a collar to stay on a ferret, it has to be tight. Very tight. Tight enough for them to be unable to snorgle their way out of it. And that can lead to gruesome damage (see below).

3. If you buy a collar that fits, you have to be vigilant about changing it as your ferret grows and changes. And a ferret's body can change a lot from season to season. My ferrets are not shy about fattening up for the winter. They can gain or lose 6 ounces depending on when you measure them. And when you only weigh about 2 or 3 pounds, 6 ounces can make a huge difference! If you don't monitor your ferrets closely while they are wearing collars, they can grow themselves into a dangerous situation.

In the following pictures, which are gruesome, Rainer's owner did not take his body changes into account. Rainer grew up, but his collar didn't. The collar had to be removed surgically by Dr. Katrina Ramsell. Thank God that we had the facilities to remove this guy's collar before it choked him to death or caused other damage.

Let these pictures be a warning. If you choose to put a collar on your ferret, please please please keep a vigilant eye on them. Don't let this happen to your baby.

A Letter of Appreciation

2010-01-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

We recently adopted out Angel, a lovely sable girl who I remember as a very hard sleeper. Imagine how surprised and pleased I was when I received this note in my inbox! It made us so happy that I thought I would share.

"i just wanted to say i was sooooo happy when i went to your ferret rescue today. i adopted angel and couldnt be happier. she is wonderful!!!! i have never had a better experience and i am so glad. i will let every one i know who is interested in a ferret know about you guys. and again thank you so much, angel is, well just like her name a angel. thank you!!!"

Thank you!

Do Cats and Ferrets Get Along?

2010-01-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

As long as the cat respects the ferret, yes.
However, if the cat (or kitten) say, jumps into the playpen with no warning and tries to bat the ferret around like a cat toy, there might be problems.

Gizmo here thought it would be a really fun idea to jump into the play yard with Snowy. Snowy did not agree.

Many ferrets will hold their ground if confronted. Most ferrets know no fear.

Snowy's tail is about three sizes too big. But she's going NOWHERE!

But ferrets are generally pretty forgiving too. Two minutes after the fight, they are best friends -- THROUGH THE BARS ONLY though!

Xmas party coming up on Saturday!

2009-12-08T16:18:00.001-08:00

We have a wonderful Xmas party comihng up at the shelter on Saturday, December 12th at 6:00 p.m. There will be HAM! Here is the official website info:

December 2009 Friends of Ferrets Xmas Meeting
When: Saturday, December 12th
Time: 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Where: 17560 S. Holly Lane, Oregon City, OR 97045 (the Oregon Ferret Shelter)

We're having the annual Xmas party! Bring a gift or two for the ferrets' gift exchange -- something around $5 to put into the mix. A hard rubber toy, some treats (N-bones or Cheweasels), a sleepy sack -- these are some good selections.

Also, if you want to bring a gift for the shelter ferrets, items such as food, laundry soap, bleach, paper towels, baby wipes, scrapers, and litter are always appreciated. Our babies always need help, and we have more than 200 in the shelter right now.

If you have any questions, please call Dave or Chris at (503) 557-8369.

The dinner is a shared potluck. We will be providing delicious and yummy ham! Singles please bring a main dish, families please bring a main dish and a salad or dessert. Tableware and drinks will be provided. Healthy ferrets are welcome to join the play group.

The Giving Tree -- A Great Way to Help Our Ferrets!

2009-11-29T23:03:00.000-08:00

This is Charlie. She is one of our furkids on The Giving Tree this year.

The Giving Tree is a way for people to “adopt” or sponsor an individual ferret and play Secret Santa to a needy furkid. Shelters send in pictures and stories of up to 10 ferrets for placement on the Tree's web page. Would-be Santas can then go to the page and click a picture to find out why that ferret is at the shelter, some details about their life there, and what he or she would most like for Christmas.

The Oregon Ferret Shelter was able to post 10 of its most deserving special needs ferrets on the Giving Tree this year. We are on the bottom half of Tree 24. Our kids are: Farina, Vinnie, Orchid, Mario, Charlie, Monsieur Ferret, Probee, Spike, Travis, and Butters.

If you would like to see the Giving Tree in action, you can access it at: www.ferretgivingtree.com. Once there, you can choose from a huge selection of deserving candidates. Directions for use are right on the website and are easy to follow.

If you have any questions about the Oregon Ferret Shelter kids, you can call Chris Mathis at (503) 557-8369.

The shelter contest!

2009-11-24T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well, so far we only have 20 votes. But they are high-quality votes! I loved reading the wonderful things people said about us. Here are some of the nice things people said. Thank you thank you thank you!

Nancy Busso
The OR Ferret Shelter is a wonderful, caring place and ferrets get excellent food, medical care and love in a clean environment.

Barbara Trierweiler
They LOVE animals. Not just ferrets, but all animals. They help the Oregon Humane Society with foster homes for some of their animals, without asking for credit, They have a no kill policy so you feel safe bringing your babies (like mine), if circumstances beyond your control happen and you have to give them up. They're the best.

Rylie Coiteux
I used to have two ferrets from this shelter, and before them we almost bought two different ferrets from there. They did not sell us those ones because one ferret was sick. I appreciated them not selling me a sick animal. He ended up dying two weeks after we were going to buy him. I also love how much attention the ferrets in the shelter get. They get trained to stop biting before they are sold, and they are just the cutest animals in the world. :) .

Damon hathaway
I have adopted 2 beautiful ferrets so far from this shelter. Oregon Ferret Shelter have knowledgeable people, with such love in their hearts that I have never heard of them refusing any ferrets brought to them .

Andrea Land
This shelter is amazing!!! We currently have ferrets and tried to take some in from a friend of ours that had to move away and one of the boys wasnt getting along so we called and asked if the shelter could find it a better suited home. They accepted with no questions asked and when we got there we found out he had adrenal gland disease thing and that they were going to do the surgery to fix him!!!!! I am so happy to hear this good news. .

Carole Clark
I love ferrets. They should all have the loving care they get at this shelter.

Shiver Carr
This shelter has a wonderful reputation and the work they do is so very important. .

J Stufflebeam
There are not many Ferret rescue facilities and they provide a much needed loving sanctuary.

Patti Riggert
The Oregon Ferret Shelter is run primarily by Chris Mathis with help from whoever she can recruit. She works basically around the clock and a ferret is never turned away, no matter what the issue. Without Chris and the Oregon Ferret Shelter there would be hundreds of ferrets that would not have homes or would have been put to sleep. This is a shelter that is funded by donations and adoptions fees and does not get the large funding that dog and cat shelters get. That money would REALLY help a lot of ferrets that need surgery, medications and a forever family to love and care for them! Thank you!

janell cody
there are not many people who would do the job that chris and dave do at the ferret shelter with out them all the fuzzies would end up being put down instead she is a no kill shelter every one deserves a second chance.

SAMANTHA MATHIS
I LOVE THE OREGON FERRET SHELTER BECAUSE THAY HELP A LOT OF FERRETS THAY DO GOOD THAINGS

Jeni Clark (this one is mine)
The Oregon Ferret Shelter helps hundreds of ferrets each year without the huge funding that dog and cat shelters get. Chris Mathis works around the clock -- yes, even in the middle of the night -- to make sure all of her charges are well-cared-for even with the limited resources at her disposal. She is amazing and an inspiration.

Help us become America's favorite animal shelter!

2009-11-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

From the Care2.com website: "The America's Favorite Animal Shelter contest is a chance for animal lovers everywhere to raise awareness of the need to adopt shelter and rescue animals while helping their favorite shelter win a donation."

OK, yes, I know we don't have as huge a following as the dog and cat people. But that doesn't mean we can't show how much we love our tiny ferret friends! If we get enough votes, we could win some money. And there are several ways to win. We have until December 16th to gather votes. Tell your friends, tell your coworkers, tell your mom!

Clicky clicky HERE to VOTE! Or click on Gabriella above!

Halloween Costume Contest!

2009-10-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

I love October! It's the time of year where we do unspeakably embarassing things to ferrets, like dress them up in fairy costumes, for prizes. It makes me feel like a little girl again, dressing up my cats in doll clothes. (Free tip: Cats REALLY don't like booties. Neither do ferrets.)

Unfortunately for me, my sewing machine broke and I was unable to contribute to the contest. But it was fortunate for eveyone else, as this left me able to get some really nice pictures of the other contestants!

I put all of my pictuers together in a slide show for your viewing pleasure. I also wrote up the whole thing with my usual goofy flair.

Clicky clicky here!

TUBES!

2009-10-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

Buy a tube for your ferret! You'll be glad you did! (Dana sure is.)

A GOOD Craigslist post!

2009-10-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

I was cruising Craigslist again, and I saw this post. It's a bit blunt, but I am really glad that someone is looking out for ferrets' best interest. Awesome!

To people looking for ferrets (everywhere)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2009-10-11, 1:02PM PDT
Reply to: comm-ecdyt-1416747894@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have notice a lot of people looking for free or no cost ferrets recently. I would like to let people know that ferrets are VERY high maintance animals. They need 4+ hours a day outside the cage of supervised playtime. They need their litter changed DAILY. Ferrets also need special food. Made for Ferret although some people think that they can feed them cat food it is very bad for their teeth. Ferret food cost $10 for the smallest bag so it expensive. Ferret also need vet care a lot of people don't relize that they need rabbies and distemper shots. Ferrets can also have lots of health problems. You need to find an experinaced vet who knows about ferrets. I have four ferrets of my own and have spent well over $2000 on my ferrets this year. This is only for things they must have such as cage, litter box, shampoo, nail trimmers, water bowl, dishes, beddings, leashes and harness and some ferret toys. I hope that if you REALLY want a ferret your willing to pay at least something for them. If your not even willing to pay a rehoming fee that suggest to me that you might not be willing to properly take care of your new pet and it will most likly end up on craiglist again to be rehome. If this does not apply to you then I am deeply sorry but hopfully this post will open someone's eyes to how much responsiblity an animal is this something that a lot of people on craigslist seem to do. They buy an animals have and acciendtly have more of them and then they rehome them. Also ferrets are illegal in califorina and hawwii so if your going to move there don't bother getting one it will be back on cariglist because you didn't do your research. Please research ferret in dept before you decide to take one into your home

Ferret Legging

2009-10-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

I came across an odd photo today, It referred back to the sport of ferret legging.

Cracked.com has a lovely article about it on their list of the eight most baffling sports from around the world.
http://www.cracked.com/article_16697_8-most-baffling-sports-from-around-world.html

I suspect that a lot of your success in the sport depends greatly on your choice of ferrets. We have some nice oldsters at the shelter who would probably just curl up and nap, thus opening the way for you to beat the current world record at five hours and 26 minutes (set in 1981). Not that we're advising you to stuff a ferret down your pants. Sicko.

Adoptable Ferret of the Day: PEARL!

2009-09-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have known Pearl for quite some time, and I just love her to pieces. I hope that she can find a home very soon because she is a very special ferret who really needs a human of her own.

Originally, Pearly Girl was an albino breeder girl who didn't know that biting was bad. She would just bite you because she didn't know how else to communicate. It was awful because she is just the cutest tiniest girl you have ever laid your eyes on! This tiny gem of a ferret came to my friend Lavon's house in desperate need of socialization.

After many months, Pearl has become as lovely in manners as her name suggests. She has not bitten me in months. Indeed, she looks at me in a very puzzled way if I even approach her with suspicion in my eyes. She is still not a snuggly ferret, but her days of biting are long over, and she is now eager to have a place of her own.

If you decide to adopt Pearl, her biggest concern now would be: Do you have a tube for her to run through? Because she REALLY loves tubes!

Pearl is a true albino, and her eyes look like flame when the light catches them.

Pearl is from a private breeder. She is smaller than most ferrets. People think that she is a baby, but she is fully grown. Her toes are so small and perfect! She looks so sweet and fragile. But believe me, when she gets going, she can play as well as the rest of them! She's a little gymnast!

Just so you know, Pearl is not de-scented. And she will "poof" if she gets scared. She is also leery of de-scented ferrets, so a non-de-scented companion ferret would be recommended. The Oregon Ferret Shelter has some non de-scented ferrets you can test-drive her with if you want to adopt more than one.

Come by the shelter and ask to see Pearl! You'll be glad you did!

Star Wars and ferrets!

2009-09-21T19:13:00.001-07:00

Who knew? In some film called "An Ewok Adventure", there is a ferret!

Click here!

Personally, I don't like Ewoks. They eat people. That kid is gonna be lunch for sure.

Craigslist Again...

2009-09-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

I tried to post to Craigslist this weekend to tell the public that we have a temporary reduction in our adoption fee. ($150 for two young ones, $75 for two if they are more than 4 years old! Come and get em!)

But people kept flagging me. I finally asked the community why (and put my ad under a different headline, one that didn't mention the Oregon Ferret Shelter).

I got some interesting responses.

"people flag shelter ad's because the shelters so not know hardly anything about dogs especially. they advertise a "english pointer for adoption" when in reality the dog is a german shorthair black lab mix, that's why. if the shelter could post a right ad, people would stop flagging the shelters...."

Ummm... not really an issue with us. But thanks for the info.

"Ferrets are prohibited on Craigslist. ferrets are prohibited in CA < - > where Craigslist is based, therefore prohibited on Craigslist. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/forums/?ID=136756020"

No, they are not prohibited on Craigslist. Just in California and Hawaii. Don't EVEN get me started on the whole "banning them in California" thing.

"My guess would be because the ad is for a "commercial" shelter not private owned? Again, a guess."

This one is totally possible. But we are, actually, privately owned. So maybe I need to make my post a little less ... professional? I just don't know. I can only do the best I can.

I did get some really positive feedback from the community. Like this one.

"I think its great what your doing for ferrets, keep up the good work and hopefully people will stop flagging your ad."

Which left me on Cloud 9 for a few hours! I just love it when we get supported, even if it's just a little email.

It seems that this Craigslist thing needs a little more finesse than I am used to. I'll just keep working on it.

Life is totally unfair

2009-08-27T16:22:00.001-07:00

This is Jinx. He came here just a few weeks ago with his friend Zelda. He is super super cute in this picture, sticking out his tongue at me. He was a pleasure to photograph -- very playful, very cuddly.
He is dead.
Chris found him in his sleepy sack last week. We don't know what happened to him. There wasn't a mark on him. No symptoms. Nothing.
A 2-year-old ferret should not just die for no reason. But that is what seems to happen in shelters. Sometimes people bring in ferrets, and they don't want to tell us that the ferret has had strange symptoms. They don't want us to refuse to take them, like some other shelters do, because they are sick. So we have to find out on our own. And sometimes, finding out on our own means we find out too late.
Relying on our detective abilities, especially with so very many ferrets to take care of, is just cruel. It's cruel to the ferret, and it's cruel to us, because every time we find a dead ferret, we die a little too.

Weasels Dancing in the Park pics!

2009-08-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

The Weasels Dancing in the Park pictures are up on Facebook -- all 172 of them! Feel free to have a look.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=2019025&id=1173589870&ref=mf

Hope that link works.

We raised $2600 this time around. We had fewer donations this year. Even OMSI wouldn't give us any tickets, and they usually can be counted on for a small donation. I guess the economy has hit people pretty dang hard, just as it has hit us hard.

At least I was able to get some wonderful stuff at the auction. I got a wonderful ferret basket full of food and treats. Bongo, of course, tried to take all of the treats and food for himself. He has turned into a right wily treat thief!

Lots of fun was had by all. :)

Whew! Page is back

2009-08-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Our page is back up. Here's what they sent.

Hi,

Your account was mistakenly suspended due to an error by Facebook's site security system. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. We have reactivated your account and you will now be able to log in.

Thanks for your understanding,

The Facebook Team

Someone disabled our Facebook page!

2009-08-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well, isn't that special? Some total jerk decided that our Facebook page should be disabled.

I was doing my normal thing, and I saw I had a friend request from someone named Slinky Baker. I accepted it. Suddenly, I was logged out, and a FB page came up saying "Your account has been disabled".

When I find out who did this, THERE WILL BE BLOOD!

...Oh, sorry. Channelled Daniel Day-Lewis there for a second.

There will be A FURIOUS DOOKING! A DOOKENING, as it were.

Another A-hole on Craigslist

2009-07-31T00:27:00.000-07:00

Here's an ad from Craigslit:

Marjorie is a relatively young and petite ferret. She's very well behaved, and is one of the most chill ferrets I've ever met. Of course she loves to play too!! And gets along with the cat and the 7 month old puppy I previously had. Marj (as we call her) has a 2 story cage with a hammock. It has a plastic slide out bottom for easy cleaning.. we lay newspaper on the bottom and she does her potty business in one corner. She likes to take a shower with you or be bathed in the sink :) So I'm asking a rehoming fee of $50 including Marjorie, her cage, the leash/harness. **I'm actually the roommate of the owner and the only reason she agrees to get rid of her is because I'm 5 months pregnant, due early Dec** If you have further questions you can contact me by email, Thanks! -- Lindsey

Oh I'm pregnant BOOHOOO I can't possibly allow the OWNER of the house where I am RENTING to allow a pet. I am the only person who ever gave birth in the world and everyone must cater to me me meeeee!

Seriously??? What a f***tard. If she were my roommate, she would come home to all of her crap being out on the front lawn in a charred, smouldering heap. Buh-bye!

I met a Facebook Dumb*ss

2009-07-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

I stepped into the middle of a ferret-based conversation on Facebook. I am so stressed out now.

Sabrina: I wish they were legal in CA. I would totally have one. Maybe I should get one anyways. lol

Toby: I wonder why they aren't??

Sabrina: they are considered 'rodents'. and they breed like crazy.

Toby: Oh yah, I think I heard that the female will die if she go's into heat and cant mate!

Jeni Clark: Sabrina, ferrets are not rodents. They are strict carnivores. They EAT rats and mice. Also, since 99.999999 percent of ferrets in the United States are fixed before the age of 4 weeks, they are completely unable to breed like crazy. Come see my website oregonferretshelter.org to learn more about these adorable pets.

Sabrina: um. ok. well that's what i heard. I'm not too concerned with it

Sabrina: "Ferrets are illegal in California because the California Department of Fish and Game claims that if ferrets are let out into the wild, they would mate, multiply, become feral and could threaten native wildlife". Let's see mate, multiply, OH and they carry rabies very easily in comparison to other animals. That seems pretty rodent-like to me. I wasn't hating on them. I was just saying. Plus, I think they are ADORABLE and have friends that own them.

Jeni Clark: Actually, there is a rabies vaccine for ferrets. All of mine are vaccinated. In addition, they don't carry rabies more easily than other animals. If they do get it, they are far more likely to die before they can spread it than other animals, so the OPPOSITE is true. And, again, I tell you that 99.999999 percent of ferrets in the United States are fixed, so the Dept. of Fish and Game is wrong in their statements that they could breed. I have a boy that was not fixed until yesterday, and I had to go through hoops to get him. There are only a handful of ferret breeders in the US, largely because it is difficult to breed them (yes, Tony is right when he says that females have to breed when they go in heat or they will die, and if you don't have a hob [male] in rut or a vasectomized hob, you can lose your female). I am working hard to inform the community and get these guys legalized. I wish I could recruit you to help inform people -- you sound like a very passionate person!

Jeni Clark: OMG Tony I am so sorry I am hogging up your FB page. This is my career now, tho, ferret and animal rescue. I apologize.

Sabrina: i really dont care. its not that important to me

Sigh. Some people are really ignorant. But do they have to be rude too?

Pix from my new camera

2009-06-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

Bendy ferret is bendy! Tekkie on left, Millie on right, and Snoball is bendy in the center.

Tekkie sleeping on Snoball's butt.

Group shot: Tekkie on left, Tiberius in center, Snoball on right, and Darkpaw on top. Aww!

I have to say that I am pretty impressed with the new camera. It takes great pix!

Getting a New Camera!

2009-05-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

I am so happy! I just purchased a Nikon Coolpix P6000 13.5 Megapixel over ebay. And it was only $280! (Target sells them for $499 -- yikes!)

I know, I know, buying electronics from ebay? Well, this guy I bought it from seems very solid. He has good feedback, and the purchase is covered by Paypal if something should go wrong. I am a very experienced ebayer, so I know the ropes. However, if something does go wrong, you, my readers, can taunt me at length.

If all goes well, we will have some beautiful new pictures in the next few weeks. And lord knows we need some -- we have a ton of new faces to get on the web!

Rescued Breeder Ferrets!

2009-05-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

This is Cameron. He's only a year old. He has lived as a breeder for most of that, so he doesn't know humans very well. We don't know if he likes socks, or if he hates squeaky toys, or if he steals ice cream whenever he gets a chance. We don't know if he will beg for N-bones. Not yet, anyhow.

Cameron is an albino with butterscotch coloring. We don't know if he is that color because of the food he ate (he was being fed dog food). All we know is that he needs to be neutered and given a good home where he will be treated like the sweet pet we know he can become.

This is Cameron's buddy Brutus. Brutus is a huge ferret! He is also very alert. (An alert fert lol) He follows you as you walk by his cage. He is magnificent! At three years of age, he has had the benefit of growing up with all of his man-bits intact, so he is quite a bit larger than the usual group of kids we see. He also has quite a royal bearing, and his coloring is amazing! In short, this guy really lives up to his name. When he gets adopted, he will be the center of attention wherever he goes.

There is another ferret that I want to mention. I did not get her picture, but her name is Aurora (my camera is really going out now, and many of my pictures are screwed up -- so sad!)

Aurora is a tiny little sable who looks a lot like your average female ferret. But when I picked her up, I got a huge surprise! She is SUPER-DENSE! There is not an ounce of fat on her -- she is all muscle! She is super sweet too. Chris has to keep her a while because she might be pregnant. But after that, she is going to make someone a very happy ferret owner because, with all of that muscle, she'll probably be a great gymnast!

Garret the Ferret!

2009-05-20T19:08:00.001-07:00

I have a friend named Garret. (OK, my husband has a friend named Garret, and I am just kind of along for the ride.) Garret has made it clear to me that he doesn't like ferrets. Even though his wonderful, gentle, and extremely intelligent son loves them, Garret always has a nasty thing to say about our poor little weasels. It's just a damn shame.

Today, while I was volunteering at the shelter, I came across a recent addition -- Garret the Ferret! Surely my friend could not hate his namesake! Especially such a cute namesake with a little black dot on his nose! So I photographed Garret with my phone and shipped the picture off. (Yep -- that's why the quality is so bad -- it's a phone pic!)

Turns out that when Garret was a child, they used to mock him by yelling, "Garret the Ferret! Garret the Ferret!" Being a child, he did not realize what a very great honor those children were paying him. All he remembers is the silly rhyme that made him sad. So he takes it out on poor helpless weasels by shunning them and putting the hate on. Poor Garret. Poor weasels!

I suggested to my husband that, maybe after 40-odd years, it might be time to put the hate away. I can only hope he passed on that message to Garret. Because, if Garret doesn't stop badmouthing the weasels, I know what I am going to do -- bring a weasel-shaped cake to his summer BBQ with "Garret the Ferret" written on it!

He Eats Everything

2009-05-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

OK, I have always heard how difficult it is to get older ferrets to eat new kinds of kibble or soup. Ferrets form their ideas about what is food and what isn't food within the first year of their life. It's hard to get them to accept new food ideas after that point.

However, I did NOT consider the corollary to this: Ferrets below one year of age will, if Tiberius is any indication, try to eat any kind of food. Especially if you are eating it. He just has to try it -- yogurt, cereal, peanut butter, dog food -- it all goes in his face unless I catch him in time. This is quite surprising to me.

No, I don't have children. Why do you ask?

Northwest Pet & Companion Fair -- DONE!!!

2009-04-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

We did it! We actually had a booth at the NW Pet & Companion Fair. It was awesome! At the last minute, everyone pulled together and helped out. I was blown away by all the help and kindness everyone gave.

I even managed to sell enough jewelry to almost pay for the entrance fee. Almost.

The ferrets also had a great time. Boo, shown here, was a picture of gentleness to all who held him. Awww.

I also found out at the Expo that Ike is up for adoption. Ike has always been one of my favorites. He is white with a dark tail, is super gentle, and likes to hang out on his back. In fact, I was going to adopt him when he first came in. Several people were fighting for the right to adopt him, but we spent too much time fighting and not enough time adopting. Nothing bugs Ike, which is why he was commandeered by Chris to take care of some baby ferrets that had been abandoned and needed mothering. Chris said, "I keep telling you, if you see a ferret you want, you have to take him right away, otherwise he may not be here tomorrow. Case in point equals Ike." But now the babies are raised, and Ike is free!

Now I just have to get my husband, James, to approve of me adopting Ike. This is not easy. I may have to resort to subliminal messaging. My husband says that we already have eight, and that is already too many. I say, well, what's one more? This strategy does not usually work. I may have to do what I did with the last one -- sneak him in and see if James notices.

Answering a Question

2009-04-17T15:11:00.001-07:00

OMG! Someone actually read my blog! And they even asked me a question. I am in shock!

Anyway, here is the question:

"Hey, I fell in love with a ferret at a pet store and my girlfriend said that they're "dirty animals" so we couldn't get one. I was wondering if you had any insight as to whether or not ferrets are any dirtier than other animals?

PS Even if we were to get one I wouldn't get one at a pet store

PPS Is it true that ferrets can't see depth and may walk off of ledges?"

OK, first off, ferrets are not dirty animals. A healthy ferret is a remarkably clean animal. They groom themselves (and each other) a lot, although not as much as cats.

That being said, they have a smell. A musky smell. It's not as strong as the smell you'd have from a dog living with you (and I have a dog -- Golden Retriever -- so I know this). But it is noticeable. And some people just can't stand the smell. I always liked musky perfumes and colognes, so I never had a problem. But if your girlfriend doesn't, then she might have a problem with their scent.

Ferrets can see depths, but they can't see very far. They are nearsighted. And yes, they may walk off ledges, but that kind of depends on your ferret. I had a ferret who was stone blind and would walk off ledges for the hell of it. We called it "Fippy Bungee-jumping". (Fippy is pictured here, safely on the ground in a tube, one of his favorite hangouts. I miss that little guy.) Most ferrets are more careful around ledges, which is fortunate because otherwise the species would have died out a long time ago.

Thank you so much for reading my blog and asking a question!

Millie update

2009-04-15T20:28:00.001-07:00

I am hanging out with Millie. She seems almost fully recovered. My poor little bald ferret! She is just so sweet-natured. I took her out of her hospital cage the other day. She is already back to being the preferred snuggler for all of the other ferrets. I am keeping an eye on her stitches so they don't explode from all the snuggle pressure.

This picture is from when she first came home from the vet. She looks pretty trashed here. Sleepy-eyed, very pliable. It was the first time I ever could get her to deliberately pose for a picture. Usually I have to sneak up on her to get anything good on camera. Even in her sedation, I could only squeeze out three pictures before she realized what I was doing and tried to make a run for it. Jeez, so camera-shy.

I am glad she is back on the job. I had to go to the Easter Hat contest using a diferent ferret. It just wasn't the same. She is my go-to gal for all costume contests, even though she hates being dressed up, simply because she is so small and so cute! She is a crowd favorite.

Thank the powers that be for her speedy recovery!

Millie is done and OK!

2009-04-07T21:12:00.001-07:00

Millie is done with her surgery. She looks good so far. She even ran away from me when I snuggled her "too much" (for her tastes). I just had her laying on my chest, but I guess she has intimacy issues because after half an hour, she went and hid under a chair.

I just want her to be well. Snuggles later are fine.

Millie is getting her adrenal surgery

2009-04-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Right now, Millie is getting her right adrenal surgery. I am so worried. At least I know that I have the best people on the job. I just want her to be well and get home safely.

I was so frazzled that I forgot to leave them some of her kibble. I even brought it in a bag and everything like they asked. Fortunately, if they have to give her kibble, they sell both Totally Ferret and Evo, which are her favorites.

....

worry worry worry. Has it been only 5 minutes since I last looked at the clock? Time is slow.

Northwest Pet & Companion Fair

2009-04-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my mind has determined that we should have a booth at the Northwest Pet & Companion Fair.

http://www.petfairs.com/

I have been obsessing on this for several days. I don't know why. Maybe it's because the other two charities I volunteer for have booths, and I think that Chris is at least as deserving as they are, if not WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more.

Aside: OK, yes all the charities I volunteer for are wonderful, but I have a special place in my heart for Chris. You should see how hard she works every day to make that shelter run. It inspires me and breaks my heart all at the same time.

OK, so I am trying to get us a booth. Chris is waiting for the guy to get back to us with the correct form. He sent her the wrong one -- the vendor one -- for a booth that cost $450, not the nonprofit $160. YIKES! So we're not on track yet.

More later.

Adrenal Surgery for little Millie

2009-04-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

It's a sad day for the household. I finally took Millie in to address her adrenal symptoms. Bad news: It is adrenal, and it's a right side adrenal.

The right side is the bad side. The right adrenal gland is super close to the vena cava, a major vein. Doing any kind of cutting around it is not a good idea.

However, I took Millie to the most skilled veterinarians I know, Emily Stuart and Meg Frey, who are over in Lake Oswego at Full Circle Veterinary Care (formerly LOV). Emily talked to me at length. They are the vets who amputated Millie's tail when she had that chordata, so they are quite fond of her too. (OK OK I'll tell that story later.) I totally trust these two vets to do their best by Millie.

Not only does Full Circle have the best vets in town, they also have the best vet tech in town, Tina. Tina always remembers me and my ferrets. She's always so good with my babies, even though Millie doesn't have a tail and thus has no easy handle to grip for taking temperatures.

So, if it had to be a right side adrenal, I have the best team in town to handle it. Now I just have to get through until Tuesday. I am so worried for my little polar bear ferret!

Scamps Has Improved! YAY!

2009-03-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

I made another visit to Scamps. (I KNOW! I should stop doing it, but I just can't.)

But this visit held happy news! Happy news for the ferret community!

Up above the cages, the management had put an information sheet about ferrets. Their nature, how to care for them, etc.

So, the ferrets were still in pine bedding, and they were still too young, but there was a definite effort made.

I would like to personally thank the management and employees of the Lloyd Center Scamps for taking a step toward more responsible ferret care. Many kudos to you!

fertgirl

Disapproving Weasel Disapproves!

2009-02-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Disapproving Weasel disapproves of Mondays!

This picture just cracks me up. It's a marbled polecat from http://tinyurl.com/bfo7x3

The page was created by Cara Brown, Pensacola Junior College Zoo Animal Technology Program, Fall 2005. Giving credit where credit is due!

Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

Love love love! C'est l'amour!

In my house, Tiberius and Millie are sharing a hammock and a tender moment on this beautiful day.

They have much to celebrate. The Friends of Ferrets Fundraiser brought our shelter $1278!
Now our shelter babies can get the adrenal surgery they so badly need.

Now, dear readers, scoot! Scoot! Go and enjoy this scrumptious holiday! Eat some chocolate, drink some wine, and share some FerreTone with your fuzzy friends.

Hugs!
Fertgirl

Friends of Ferret Shelters Fundraiser is ALMOST OVER!

2009-02-08T20:39:00.001-08:00

The group Friends of Ferret Shelters is giving us a fundraiser! WOOHOOO! What a super bunch of peeps!

Two new items have been added. And it's not too late to buy tickets.

**Entries are due by 9 p.m. EST on Friday, February 13. ***

Check out all the cool stuff at: http://shelterfriends.blogspot.com/

Scamps

2009-02-08T19:30:00.001-08:00

Why, oh why, do I go to Scamps?

Well, it's in the mall by my house. And I just can't seem to pass up any chance to see ferrets. (Maybe I am mentally ill, like Rudy Giuliani says. Don't know about Rudy and his hatred of ferrets? Check it out here.)

Anyhow, to get back to Scamps. I went in there, and I saw that the ferrets had no food. These were young ferrets. (At least they weren't the babies that Scamps had during Christmas, but that's another rant.) If anyone needs a steady supply of food, it's a young ferret.

So I went to the nearest employee and told them.

"It's OK, we feed them in the morning," he said.
"A ferrets' digestion process is only three or four hours long. They need food all the time," I said.
"Well, if we feed these guys all the time, they gorge themselves and get distended bellies. So we only feed them once a day to protect them."

...

"Don't worry, it's OK. I've dealt with ferrets for many years now."

Um, yeah. Thanks. I feel better. Oh, no, wait... that was a brain hemorrhage. I have to go before I either fall down or accidentally punch you. Take care.

Actually, I just stood there while he walked away. For a minute or two, I wondered if I could somehow sneak some food into their bowl while the guy wasn't looking. But there were chains and a padlock on the cage. Perhaps too many people were gorging his ferrets and making them dangerously bloated, much like Monty Python's Mr. Creosote.

Instead, I came here and wrote a blog post. Then I waited a day so it wouldn't sound too vitriolic.

I swear, I wish I could educate the whole pet-selling world about the special needs of ferrets. I wish I could tell everyone everything that they would need to know about these fuzzy guys. I'll work on it.

Sign a Petition to Give Father Nature's Ferret Rescue an Extreme Makeover

2009-02-03T21:54:00.000-08:00

An online petition is being circulated to get the recently destroyed Father Nature's Ferret Rescue on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. This would help them rebuild a much-needed shelter, as well as help that family get back on their feet.

I can't think of a more deserving family.

The goal is to get 500 signatures.

Here is some information is directly from the site:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Rebuild-Father-Natures

"Due to a house fire that destroyed not only the home of Keith and Evelyn Krysz, but also the Ferret Rescue that was ran from the home, we are pleading with you to help them rebuild safer home for them and their Rescue.

The sooner they get their house rebuilt, the sooner they can start doing what they are meant to do.... rescue and re-home ferrets that are abandoned, abused, sick, or just dropped off due to lack of love.

they want to go home.

To read more about them and see some of their work, visit their website at http://fathernaturesferretrescue.com/"

Please visit the petition site and sign up to help them out. Thank you.

Friends of Ferret Shelters Fundraiser!

2009-01-20T16:01:00.001-08:00

The group the Friends of Ferret Shelters is giving us a fundraiser! WOOHOOO! What a super bunch of peeps!

Check out all the cool stuff at:

http://shelterfriends.blogspot.com/

Personally, I want the adorable ferret-shaped scarf. But I'm sure you can find something too. :)

Ferrets and SNOW!

2008-12-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

Oregon doesn't get a lot of snow. But it does get some. I am always surprised and fascinated by it since I come from Huntington Beach, California, where snow has been banned by city ordinance since way before I was born.

Since Oregon doesn't see a lot of snow, my ferrets also don't get to see a lot of snow. But all that changed yesterday.

I love to give my ferrets new experiences. And I wondered what the ferrets would make of the whole "cold white stuff" thing. So my husband and I opened the back door and put little Darkpaw outside for just a minute.

Note: Darkpaw was my first ferret, so she gets to be the star in many of my adventures. Maybe it IS favoritism. I won't deny it.

Well, Darkpaw sat at the door's edge for a second, whiskers frantically flying as she did a sniff to end all sniffs. Then she made a break for it, running through the snow for a second, and we made a wild dash after her. She stopped when the snow got up to her belly. Then she decided she didn't like it. REALLLLLLY didn't like it! James picked her up and she was shivering like crazy. Awww. Poor little girl.

Well, we have eight ferrets now, and we wanted to see if they would all hate it too. (Yes, maybe we are a bit sadistic.) But we needed something a little more convenient than taking them outside one by one.

James, ever the problem-solving engineer, brought in a baking sheet covered in snow and put it in the middle of the floor on a towel. Then we let them explore.

There were only two ferrets who liked it, Snoball and Frank. Frank, however, didn't just like it, he LOVED it! He really went to town! The cold did not seem to bother him as he did several fabulous whole-body snorgles through the mini-drift. He became quite possessive of the snow at some points, warning others off so he could fully spread out in the baking pan of winter delight.

Here are some pictures of his snow experience, along with the one where he tries to muscle Snoball out of the snow. "MY SNOW!" he says.

There was much merriment and mirth until, inevitably, the snow melted, at which point they all joined in for a long cold drink.

So, as far as snow goes, I would have to say that "Two out of eight ferrets interviewed would recommend snow to their ferret friends, as long as they didn't get in the way." It was well worth the effort!

Shelter Shock -- a Sad End

2008-12-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

I have to report the sad news that Boogety has passed away. He just didn't want to be here on Earth any more. No matter how many hand feedings, how many cuddles, how many medications, how much time out, or toys, or companionship, Boogety had just decided that he didn't want to live.

I had him for two weeks. In that time, he hadn't really gained much weight, but he was still eating as long as I held him and got him started on his soup. I fed him three or four times a day, and each time he got fed, he got to stay out about an hour to play with his friend, Frank.

Boogety didn't have much energy. I saw a trace of his old self a few times. Once, when he first got let out to play in my house, I saw him do a one-hop war weasel. He made it about an inch off the floor. And when he found a ball that makes a rattling noise, he tried to get the whole thing in his mouth, much to my delight. I was hoping that I would get to see more as time went by.

But on a Thursday, he refused to eat. I tried to force him, but he locked his jaws. So I fed him around his closed jaw and took him to Meg's as soon as I could. His gums were very pale. They gave him a transfusion, and Chris took him home with an I.V.

He died that night.

His buddy Frank is still with me. Frank was very lonely after Boogety's death, so I also brought home Snoball, who has a very good nature and is an expert cuddler. Together, we have made it through this tough time.

I will miss him.

Shelter Shock

2008-11-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

Most ferrets can do OK after they are dropped off at a shelter. I would say that 99 percent of them adjust after a few days and go on to being healthy and happy during their stay.

Then there is that 1 percent. They go into what is known as "shelter shock". They continue to grieve for weeks, even months, after they are dropped off, and can eventually starve themselves to death.

Unfortunately, one of the two ferrets who were relinquished to me during my stay at the shelter went into shelter shock. Boogety, the more sensitive of the two, has suffered greatly over the past few months.

When Boogety came in, he was fat, obese even. He has lost a lot of weight, to the point of being bony. He has little energy. He won't play very often. He has severe ulcers. He won't eat kibble, only soup, even though we give him the exact kibble that he ate before he came to the shelter. His eyes are listless, and he does not enjoy life. Even though Chris did everything she could for him, he failed to thrive.

I couldn't watch this happen any more. So I took him (and his buddy Frank) home with me, hoping that a different environment would help him. Maybe he needed more one-on-one time, I rationalized. Maybe more out time, in a house, would snap him out of his grief. I could tell that he wouldn't be here for very much longer if I didn't do something.

The Relinquishment

2008-10-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Intellectually, I knew that shelters had to accept new animals. And each week, when more ferrets would appear, I would always try to learn what had happened so that I could tailor my care to them. But handling a relinquishment is a fairly daunting task. It takes a sense of detachment and professionalism that, quite frankly, I just don't have yet.

When the young woman (with her mother) came by to drop off her two ferrets, my fellow volunteer Tracy was there to help me (thank god!). Tracy showed the women around the place, all the cages and the play yards. She also told them a few things about the ferrets’ chances of adoption. We learned that the ferrets were 4 years old, which is on the older side for a ferret and is typically an age when many of the known ferret diseases crop up, like adrenal and insulinoma. Tracy mentioned that their age would make them more difficult to place. The young woman was holding up nicely until Tracy mentioned that. Then she started to cry.

I felt so bad for her. I went and grabbed her a tissue. When I came back, the woman's mother shot daggers at me with her eyes. I understood that we were making her daughter cry and invoking her maternal instinct. But as hard as this was for that poor woman, I knew that it would be tougher on the ferrets.

Then the woman brought in her two ferrets. They were fine fat little boys, adorable little pudges with soft fur and big eyes. I told the woman that they looked very good for 4 years old and that it was obvious that she had taken very good care of them. She smiled through her tears and said that they were her babies, and that it was tearing her apart to leave them there, but she was moving to California.

*the author now stuffs down her murderous rage at the California Department of Fish and Game, not to mention Arnold Governator*

We finished up some paperwork and brought in the boys' stuff. Then goodbyes were said, and more tissues were issued. Tracy then asked the final, and hardest, question:

"Can you make a financial donation towards their care?"

This is such a loaded and terrible question for people. It is so important for the shelter to get actual, cash money any way they can. Vets need to get paid, medicines aren't cheap, and so many expenses crop up that need to be handled immediately. Cash is the one thing we are always short on.

But the people who are bringing in their ferrets are often very poor themselves, at the end of their financial and emotional rope. This is their greatest sacrifice - they can no longer take care of one of their family, and they feel that the emotional sacrifice alone is more than they can bear. In these situations, neither party can afford to go without even a small sum of money.

It is a no-win situation.

The woman offered us her last $20. Her last $20. This woman had only $20 to her name, but she was going to give it to us. We declined, but we took a promise instead: When she gets back on her feet, she was to go out and pay it forward, to go and do a kindness for someone.

So we all said goodbye, and I took the boys back to their cage that I had set up for them. Their names were Frank and Boogety. (Why did she name him Boogety? "He looks like a Boogety." And he really does.) Both ferrets were confused, and Boogety was downright peeved. I tried to comfort them with Ferretone and with their old bowl from home, but they were having none of it.

(I know I will be accused of anthropomorphizing, but I think that ferrets have feelings that are just as deep as human feelings, and they make emotional connections that are just as real as any human connections. They may not be the same, but they are just as real and just as strong, if not stronger. These guys were realizing that life was going to be very different and that they were going to lose the one person that was most important in their lives. And this seemed to have a very great impact on their actions. Only a fool would see evidence of emotional disturbance and write it off as "just typical animal behavior".)

So, Frank and Boogety are in our shelter now. If you want to come by and see them, or any of a few hundred other ferrets with similar sad stories, just give Chris a call at 503-557-8369.

I Got to Run the Ferret Shelter for a Weekend! Yay!

2008-10-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

In Battlestar Galactica, the Secretary of Education becomes the President, even though there are 42 people ahead of her in the Presidential succession, because of dire circumstances.

In much the same way, I was elected to run the Oregon Ferret Shelter for a weekend. And now I shall share that experience with you so you can all gain a new appreciation for just how hard Chris and Dave work to help animals in need.

Just so you know, running the shelter isn't just running the shelter part. It's also running the home of Chris and Dave, the owners of the shelter. And since they are animal lovers, this means taking care of a lot of many kinds of animals.

Dave and Chris love their dogs a lot. There is a lot to love -- they have four English Mastiffs. These dogs are huge. And even though Mastiffland is a peaceful place, entering an empty home with four of them inside is not for the faint of heart. After I got the emergency call, I headed over to their house, only to open the door to three of them in the front room on the floor. Three gigantic heads raised, and heart-stopping thunderous howls sounded from the mouths of all. I would not have been surprised if their eyes started shooting laser beams -- it was that intimidating. It takes real nerve to enter a house with that facing you.

Fortunately, they knew me. And I had french fries.

After I was greeted, I went into the kitchen to feed the dogs (the mastiffs plus two more dogs! EEK!). There was only a little food left in the tub on the counter. I hoped that Chris had a huge storage bin of it somewhere because it was not good to let large dogs go hungry. Especially dogs that were bred to kill bears. Fortunately, Chris had a huge bin of it in back. This was going to be the theme of the weekend -- Chris has everything anyone could ever need in quantity. She is prepared for every emergency. If the zombie plague ever happens, and civilization is thrown into a shambles, I will head on over to Chris' compound because she will have the best chance of survival.

I spent the rest of the night checking over the shelter kids, making sure they had food and water, and appeasing the cats. I tried to learn where stuff was. I also sent out the call for help to my fellow volunteers Lin and Tracy. Thankfully, Lin was able to do the meds. And Tracy was able to help me with the toughest part of the weekend --

THE RELINQUISHMENT
More on that next time...

Weasels Dancing in the Park!

2008-09-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

The long-awaited Weasels Dancing in the Park fundraiser took place in July. It wasn't too hot, the ferrets were quite happy, and there was much merriment.

The Tube Race

Always a crowd favorite, the Tube Race was fraught with excitement and anticipation. Who would be the fastest? Who would be the first? And, most importantly, who would actually exit the tube instead of turning around and becoming a fuzzy pipe clog? Many a fast and feisty ferret was thwarted from grabbing the prize due to unexpected shyness and a basic misunderstanding of how the game was supposed to go. The ultimate winner, Tekkie, only exited the tube because there was a juicy iPhone tempting her from outside her comfortable plastic burrow, and we all know how much ferrets love expensive technology!

The Pop Can Tip

The Pop Can Tip was also quite the crowd pleaser this year. The object of the game is for the ferret to knock over as many empty pop cans as possible in the time allotted. However, as usual, the ferrets often had different ideas of how the game was supposed to go. My personal favorite was Millie, who not only did not tip over any cans, she actually stood up, held the top of one with her paws to sniff it, then laid back down, leaving the can completely unmoved. The ultimate winner was Biscuit (pictured), a healthy and hearty boy who was a crowd favorite due to his laid-back temperament, his bumblingly sweet nature, and his habit of spinning like a top whenever he got in a tube. I believe that he tipped over 15 cans, which was a great showing.

The Rice Dig

The Rice Dig was a new event this year. Since anyone who has ever left a house plant within reach of a ferret has discovered that ferrets LOVE to dig, we thought that this would be a great way to use those skills in a healthy way. The object of the game was for the ferret, upon entering the planter full of rice, to dig out as much as he or she could, hopefully flinging it into the air and over the edge, where it would be caught on a tarp and weighed. The one with the most rice by weight would win.

Well, it turns out that some of the ferrets need a little inspiration to start digging. For example, my ferrets need for there to be a very expensive houseplant inside the planter, along with the sounds of me screaming at them to stop, to really get into digging. When I put my little Darkpaw into the planter, she merely sat, a study of daintiness, as if she were a porcelain sculpture instead of the little plant-murdering fiend I know she can be. Little Cinnamon (pictured) appears to have taken on the same faux aura of sainthood in this photo. Ultimately, some of the contestants' contributions did not have to be weighed at all -- they could be counted in grains. I think Darkpaw had five grains. Yippee.

Edit: After a slow start, Cinammon ended up winning the dig with two teaspoonfuls of rice. Way to go!

As an aside: You should know that many ferrets love to dig and would benefit from having a rice box to play in. They look like little otters as they swim and snorkle in the mix. All you need is a box and rice (the sides should be a little high to prevent the rice from showering over the sides as they dig -- I use a Rubbermaid dishpan). Some people use those edible packing peanuts instead; some people use actual soil that has been sterilized. At home, Darkpaw has been known to snorkle through the rice like a pro, poking her face deeply into the mix while looking for toys that I have buried in there. Why she didn't show off those skills at the event, I'll never know.

The Final Score

All in all, we had about 200 attendees and made about $3100 for the Oregon Ferret Shelter. We all had a great time sharing our stories and showing off our companions while helping a good cause. We also had a great time at the auction, where we got to learn about all of the new things available in the ferret world (and about businesses that are ferret-friendly and deserve our patronage). To see the huge list of businesses who helped with our event, click here.

In addition, many people who were unfamiliar with ferrets had a good chance to learn about and appreciate our fuzzies, which is what these fundraisers and other outreaches are all about. I will always remember the little boy who carried Darkpaw around for almost half an hour, having fallen absolutely in love with her. I couldn't blame him -- I feel the same way. I hope that we can continue to have these events that help bring ferrets and people together in a fun and loving way.

Special thanks goes to Lisa Harris for her photos!

Summertime has arrived!

2008-06-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ah yes! Summer is here! And with it comes all sorts of ideas for fun, along with the temptation to take your ferret outside on a leash.

For those of you who have not done this, I advise bringing a friend for the inevitable harness structural failure and resulting chase. Although, since ferrets are prone to being distracted (and what is more distracting to an inside ferret than outside stuff), you may be able to squeak by on your own.

Here are the steps for taking your fert on an outside journey:

Buy harness. Imagine your ferret dressed up in it, adorably marching by your side through the city. This will be your only moment of joy.
Attempt to put the harness on your ferret. No, you may not use glue or staples.
Finally, after putting the harness on tighter than William Shatner's girdle, take your bulging-eyed ferret outside.
Place ferret on the ground, and stand back to watch him or her take in the marvels of nature.
Watch ferret scrape him- or herself on the ground, trying to get the harness off.
Watch ferret get the harness off.
Run after the ferret, catch ferret, sigh in frustration.
Repeat steps 2 through 7 until exhaustion sets in.

Doesn't that sound like fun?

Fundraising letters!

2008-05-21T21:52:00.001-07:00

Oh the joy I've had making fundraising letters! I've been using this image for our return address on our letterhead.

Does that mean I've been making ...

STOATIONERY?

*groan*

OFS meeting on May 10

2008-05-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

It's Mother's Day! And the Mother's Day festivities got a great start at the Oregon Ferret Shelter meeting when there was a raffle for the infamous Climb-n-Sail, a highly sought-after and discontinued ferret toy.

I was introduced to the Climb-n-Sail a few months ago, when someone put one into our group playpen during a meeting. My tiny ferret, Darkpaw, who never expresses serious interest in anything, immediately dove into the ship and wouldn't come out for the rest of the night. We had to forcibly extricate her by shaking the thing upside-down.

Since that time, I have been on a quest to find one. I came SO CLOSE last night to winning. I put in $20, but I was DENIED! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! CRUEL FATE!

I will have a Climb-n-Sail someday, for my little fert. This I swear. In the meantime, I shall simply hold my little D.P., with her newly grown tail fur, and whisper comforting things to her.

Poor leetle fuzz, with her tiny feets and her broken heart.

Just stick your arm into this alligator's mouth...

2008-04-24T23:10:00.001-07:00

Had a breakthrough today!

Leeloo decided that she, too, wanted to steal dog kibbles, just like all the other ferrets do. (My Golden Retriever just watches them do it, a sad look on his face. I tell him that he shouldn't have left any behind.) The other ferrets must have told Leeloo that I'll take it back from them if I can get it, dog food being a poor substitute for ferret kibble. So she grabbed a piece and ran for the hills.

I found her sometime later, looking rather distressed. Since she did not know the ways of eating giant dog kibble, she had tried to crunch it all at once, sinking her teeth deeply into a kibble that was way too big for her mouth. She ended up getting it stuck between her teeth, firmly wedged into her upper jaw cavity.

I've had to pull a kibble or two from the teeth of my ferrets, especially D.P., who is fixated upon the joy of Iams Weight Control Large Breed. (BTW: I know it's bad for them. But my dog has these big sloppy floppy chops that can send kibble flying around the room. It's hard to find them all before the release of the wee beasties.)

But now I had to pry off a large piece of Iams from Leeloo's very sharp and well-practiced teeth. YIKES!

After a few tries, during which Leeloo was quite distressed, she quickly figured out that I was trying to help her. She calmed down enough for me to pry it from her teeth and out of her mouth -- and she didn't even try to bite me! This is significant progress.

I think I'll go to bed while I'm riding on the high from this victory.

Many Updates!

2008-04-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to update this very much this month. Lots to do. Here are the highlights:

Leeloo's biting -- I spoke to Chris, some other ferret friends, and the vet. They all had a lot of useful information on how to continue my rehabbing, along with a lot of encouragement. The vet, Dr. Emily Stuart, told me not to expect too much too soon from Leeloo -- it could take months for her to stop biting, and even then she might be skittish for the rest of her life. It's hard to tell what kind of effect her background will have. But we'd come a long way together already. I remembered that the first dozen times I saw Leeloo, she wouldn't even approach the bars of her cage; she was so afraid that someone would hit her that she hid when anyone approached. Now she rattles the bars to get her "out time" like an old pro. So maybe things are not so bleak, eh?
Easter Hat contest! The Oregon Ferret Shelter had an Easter hat contest, and first place was a tie. Lisa had a lovely feather creation -- a hat complete with Easter bunny and a glamorous boa! My entry, the Beaded Spring Fez, was also well-received (but then, who doesn't like a fez?). Lisa got a wonderful gift of sugar cookies. I got a really loud wind chime, which I HAD planned to take outside to annoy my neighbors, but it has instead become a ferret fixation. Techie, the ferret who loves anything technological, rubbery, or noisy, discovered that it is really fun to swing on the key that dangles below, sending hundreds of decibels' worth of chiming throughout the house. It's good feng shui -- no need for a singing bowl now. If there WERE any bad spirits in my house, they have now departed with great haste. Strangely, my ant problem also went away at the same time. Awesome! Oh, if anyone got pictures of the Easter Hat contest, would you send them to me at jeni(at)aracnet.com? Sadly, I have nothing workable on my camera. I would appreciate it.

I would like to thank Carla Smith for a post she made in March of 1996 called "I Had a Bad Biter Too". It's from the FERRET-SEARCH archives, from the FML Issue 1503. Her post was both informative and uplifting, and I keep it by my computer to help me when I am bleeding and stressed.

Must go -- I think I hear the cage bars rattling! Shoes on, Ferretone in hand, loins girded, GO!

Rehabbing a Biter, Part 3

2008-04-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well, had a setback yesterday. And we were doing so well.

After a long session of gleefully trashing my house, Leeloo curled up in a bag in my closet. When it was time for her to return to her cage (so I could clean up the carnage), I gently prodded her awake and tried to lift her out. She nipped me.

"Leeloo," I said, "Nobody likes to be woken up. But it's time to go to bed. There will be Ferretone and sleepsacks and MOTHER OF GOD OUCH OUCH OUCH!"

Leeloo had bitten me. Hard. The "bite and hang" kind of bite.

I grabbed her by the scruff, and she released her hold on my flesh. Then I yelled, "NO! NO!" In her face, and I dragged her a little across the ground, like a momma ferret does to discipline her kits. That is, I dragged her until I realized that I was using her to mop up MY OWN BLOOD!

(Aside: Ferrets are highly absorbent, by the way.)

I looked over at my hand, and rivers of blood are oozing their way through my fingers and down to the floor. At this point, Leeloo is hanging totally limp by the scruff, something she has never done -- usually, she at least kicks a foot or gets a very sour look on her face. This time, I think she was as freaked out as me.

Bleeding profusely, I dripped a nice trail along the floor over to her cage. I put her inside and did a damage assessment. Wow! She must have hooked into an artery or something because my hand was covered with way too much blood for the size of the wound. The flesh between the knuckles of my first and second fingers was blowing up into a Brazil-nut-sized lump (not big enough for a walnut, but close). There was severe bruising already starting.

While I was running my hand under some cold water, I started crying. How am I going to be able to take care of this little ferret? How am I supposed to get her to trust humans again? How can I repair the damage done to her by all of those cruel people? How am I supposed to stop myself from going down to the pet store we got her from and punching out all of the employees for what they did to her? I just don't know. I guess I'll just ask Chris at the shelter tomorrow. Maybe she'll have some good advice.

Rehabbing a Biter, Part 2

2008-03-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

Little Leeloo has settled in. Yes, we changed her name. She is not sneaky like a Russian spy, as the name "Petra" would lead you to believe. No, her true personality is coming out, and she's more like that superbeing in The Fifth Element than anything else. No guile, all butt-kicking.

Leeloo decided to do a little interior decorating the other day. She pushed everything off the dresser by the window, which included: five bags of ferret food, two pet carriers, a Star Trek cookie jar (with lid), a pair of ferret nail clippers, a basket of plastic eggs, a blanket, and her sister's awards. Fortunately, nothing broke, no thanks to her.

I also took Leeloo over to my friend's house. She runs a foster home for several ferrets, and I help her clean up her cages, along with another volunteer. They were both dying to meet her. She bit both of them. Hard. (To be fair, I did warn them.)

Something tells me that fostering is going to be a little more difficult than I had thought. Sigh.

Rehabbing a Biter

2008-03-10T01:23:00.000-07:00

So I've taken on fostering a biter. This poor little girl was a victim of pet store brutality. Her name is Petra, and her story can be read here.

http://www.oregonferretshelter.org/petra.htm

I've had her since Wednesday. Tonight was the first night that I saw her sleep like a real ferret, completely sacked out, flipped onto her back and dead to the world. It's a nice change from her usual hypervigilant self. And during the day, she's actually greeting me at the bars instead of wincing away from them.

However, it ain't all frickin' roses. She's bitten me every day since she got here -- not fear bites, but play bites. I hope she gets the idea soon that I'm not on the menu. I'm about a pint low. On the other hand, I'm a cheaper drunk now.

Wish me luck.

Santa Paws Pays Off!!!

2008-02-09T16:22:00.001-08:00

Note from Chris regarding Santa Paws:

I just wanted to take this opportunity again to thank all involved in the Santa Paws Photo shoot program with PetsSmart. We received checks for $2,160.00 and a bonus check from the wishing tree for $1,247.40!! Our vet is going to be soooooooo happy! The ferrets are also going to eat this month!!

Yay for us!

Ferrets Magazine Going Under

2008-01-24T22:59:00.000-08:00

Under the irksomely perky headline, "Ferrets Magazine Going Online" lies the tragic news that Ferrets Magazine will no longer be in print.

http://board.ferretsmagazine.com/Topic7085-4-1.aspx#bm7087

"Our plan is to offer new articles and columns every month, weekly news updates, polls, contests and more. It will be more interactive and readers will get more frequent updates than with our bimonthly print issue -- and we'll be saving trees by going digital."

Screw the trees. I just got a gift subscription this year, and I want to read it in all its papery tactile glory. Sigh.

FertGirl

First!

2008-01-13T15:12:00.001-08:00

Funny gif number one!