Saturday, 26th January 2008

I have just been looking back at some of the postings on the blog and realize that I may have to be more circumspect in what I say and what I describe. So here goes with today’s report without any racy comments.

 

When we arrived at the shelter at 12:05pm, I  wandered in to see how many groups we still have as I had expected that perhaps Sophie and Hercules may have abandoned us without saying goodbye. They were still in their cage. But I hear they may not be for long, a done deal is what they call it. They have a home!!  Anyway I was leading up to my surprise, which was to see a new white body in the cage that Gloria and Laura just vacated.  And what do I see, a tag with a date and D.E.W.  I called Bonnie over and asked her if she had snuck our Dew back to the shelter.  If you remember from a couple of years ago we got in a young DEW, a real cutie, and Deb fell in love with him.  Someone, I am not sure who saw his tag and thought his name was Dew. Anyway for lack of more imagination, he stayed Dew and is, to this day one of our brood.

 

I have corrected the tag, by looking back over the last few day’s reports and found he is called Jeffie.  Well, I was told Jeffie had been found in a dumpster, no comments, it could get dirty!.  Jeffie is a wonderful affectionate big boy (1750 grs.), no longer young but with oodles of love for anyone picking him up and giving him the least amount of attention.  He can be playful too, especially if you scritch him on the shoulders or the base of the tail.  He may be as old as 5. But he is cute;

Couldn’t you just hug this one???    He is so solid, Bonnie said fat, unkind,  that he couldn’t fit in the tubes so that was out for him.  He tried but after wearing a tube a couple of times he gave up.

Bonnie had him for the first half of his time out. I, on the other side, had the two boys, Tommy and Bailey. A word her about Bailey. He has lost about 100 grs. In the past 4-5 weeks.  Keep and eye out for him. He is very active and playful but we must watch him.  Tommy needed his hugs and squeezes before he could wander about by himself.  Have you ever noticed the look on either one’s face when you pick up and cuddle the other. Can ferrets be jealous?.  Bailey had some time in the leaf box and had a ball.  I dropped Tommy in and you would have thought he had been dropped in a puddle of dirty dish water, he moved pretty quick to get out. He obviously is not interested.  Both, in their own ways were active and playful, each got their soft moist Ultimate treats. The boys both tend to settle down somewhere and snooze if left alone too long, they just need the stimulus and company.

 

Next I had Gizmo out and this attractive young man just wanted 100% of my time, he played well and loves playing with one’s hand.  Please everyone pay attention to Gizmo and watch out for his breathing, we were hearing some rattling as he breathed. Bonnie even heard it while he was asleep before his run time.  Gizmo has gained 40 grams since last week.

 

At the same time Bonnie took out Hercules and Sophie, we weren’t sure if they were going today  or tomorrow. It will be a bit strange not to see them next time we do a shift. BUT it will be good to know they will happily be at home at last with their new little friend Dakota.  Sophie must have had some inkling of this, because Bonnie said she seemed so happy today and more active. She is still very kissable. In Bonnie’s words Sophie “had a ball” today.  She even let Bonnie know the old Sophie lurks just under the veneer of the civilized Sophie. She snuck her head up Bonnie’s pant leg and licked her leg with her teeth. NOT a nip but a tease. Hercules same old self, wanders around satisfying his curiosity, greeting the humans, checking out his next nap spot and finally settling down after an hour in same spot. Then we switched and out he came again, long enough to say his hellos, another wander around, a bit of play then crawled into a carrier to groom himself.

Sophie has put on 30 grams, and Hercules has lost 30 grams.  Together they are stable, same weight together. Looks like Hercules gave up some grams to Sophie so she would look good for her new human. Generous chap.

 

Then we went home, and on the way had breakfast. Now you are probably wondering what the hell is he talking about, what is the relevance, etc. etc.

You figure

 

Nigel (&Bonnie)

Hardy

On December 11, 2004, we were called out to pick up many ferrets from a back yard breeder in Paris, ON. When we arrived, we all thought we had arrived in hell. 29 ferrets were taken alive, some near death and 12 were dead, half eaten by their cage mates or simply skulls. Of those 29, we lost Leezle first. She was just too weak for her spay surgery. We were left with 28. Hardy was one of those 28. A big boy who defiantly fought to survive. We knew it from the minute we laid eyes on him, Hardy would have done anything to live. He was the healthiest ferret we removed that day and also the most aggressive. I think he fought so hard to live because he knew there was something better out there for him. I think he was holding onto life so hard hoping to find happiness.

Shortly after coming to the shelter, many of the volunteers feared him. I remember hearing a scream coming from the ferret room one day and rushing to see what was going on. I giggled as I saw Olympia half jogging with Hardy attached to the back of her leg. He was a handful. Off to a foster home he went in hopes he would learn to behave.

Within a few weeks, Hardy was as gentle and loving as the other Paris kids. I fell in love with him and paired him with Elvis, my true favorite of the bunch. All the other Paris kids got homes except Hardy and Elvis. Truth be told, I was holding out to find what had to be the perfect home for them. They were my boys and no one but the best was going to be allowed to take them from me.

Along came Tanya and her family. I never hesitated once. I knew they would be the perfect family for my boys and they were. I have never seen more spoiled ferrets in my life (though Britt and Stephen come VERY close!!).

Fast forward a year. Hardy gets sick. Has insulinoma. Tanya struggles with the idea of surgery for him. After a lot of thought and much encouragement from all of us, she decides to go forth with the surgery, knowing it will help him and doing what we all thought was the right thing to do. We all thought it was right.

Hardy went through the surgery and a large tumor was removed from his pancreas. The surgeon had a hard time stabilizing his heart rate and his right adrenal was too close to the vena cava that the surgeon decided to leave it. Hardy's heart just wasn't stabilizing and they didn't want to have him under anesthetic for longer than needed.

At about 9 o'clock last night, the vet rang Tanya. Hardy was still unstable hand had to be transferred to the emergency clinic over night. They had the equipment to monitor him and stabilize him.

Hardy died at about 2 o'clock this morning. This is my ode to the Hard One. The one that put the volunteers through so much, the one we all fell in love with the one we must now say good bye to. Hardy doesn't have to fight anymore, he learned what love was and I believe his fight to survive so early in life paid off well in the end. He had a forever home, one that loved him and is now desperately missing him.

Good bye little Hardy. I love you and please watch over your mom, grandparents and kitties. Run to my mom Hardy. She'll goo you for us all.


Miss Randy Melanie Belair
President
The Ferret Aid Society
www.ferretaid.org

Ferret Run Report - January 7, 2008

Tommy and Bailey – Tommy required extensive fussing before he got to business with Bailey. The two them played in the overturned toy bin. Tommy managed to get his fat body airborne in an impressive war dance after freeing himself from the bin. After that he and Bailey got into the empty litter bin just before I refilled it. Tommy made it out before I started to refill the bin. Bailey didn’t. I buried him. He exploded out of the litter and war danced around the inside of the bin until finally jumping out and onto Tommy. The carried on for a while longer before tone and bed.

 

Gloria and Lauria – I’m never sure what I’m going to get out of these two. Both of them have a habit of cautiously approaching me, sniffing, licking, then chomping down before finally taking off. Gloria wanted to play so I played with her. Unlike previous evenings I really had to rile her up before she gave me a decent bite. Laura also allowed me to play with her. She also didn’t bite me too hard but did, I think, hiss at me so let her be for a while. I gave her some tone and we were cool. Laura had her ears cleaned as she was scratching at them.

 

Herc and Sofie - Sofie was in fine form. She managed to climb every cage and annoy every other ferret in the room. When I reached to get her off Gloria and Laura’s cage she really latched onto to my arm. I had to scruff her to get her off. I’m beginning to wonder if Sofie is acting out due to boredom or frustration or both. Herc was his pleasant and playful self. I really enjoy it when he hassles Sofie. He gooses her from behind and dooks while he’s doing it. They played well together in and around the toy bin and tunnel.

 

Juniper – This ferret has a seriously soft coat. She’s also the only female ferret that doesn’t attempt to shred my arms when I play with her. I played with her for a good 10 minutes in the cloth bin. She never bit hard and really seemed to enjoy being tickled.  She also enjoys it when you run your finger across the tube – she’ll chase it to the end of the tunnel and back. I let Juniper on the counter while I washed her water bottle and bowl. She literally sniffed every centimeter of counter top she could reach.

 

Gizmo – the greatest ferret at the shelter. Gizmo was out last so got the benefit of playing in both rooms. We played with the rugs. And by play I mean I would cover him with rugs while he tunneled through all the folds.  Amanda had cleaned up the other room so I took the opportunity to chase Gizmo around the room for a while. Gizmo got his meds.  Mama Randy says his chest sounds much better.

 

That’s all for the (every other) Monday Crew.

 

R&A.

Saturday report-29 dec 07

So, it’s that time again. THE SATURDAY REPORT by Nigel


Today we decided to give Randy her fill-up of fuzzies, she had been looking a bit peaky lately so we figured she must be down a few hugs and kisses. You all know what I mean, Randy’s form of ferret abuse, she calls it rent, but tell me, how many times do you see Randy with a ferret up to her face with the little fuzzy’s desperately trying to push her away with his or her front paws. We brought along an alumni of ferrets from the shelter, Higgins & Burke, Fabian (Stumpy) and Dew. Sorry Deb, he’s still as cute as ever.

Out first, came Gloria and Laura, or Laura and Gloria if you prefer. And after an appropriate pause, Burkie was deposited in the middle. Gloria was ecstatic, a great big male to sniff and frolic with, Laura also soon caught on and we had a threesome. No dirty thoughts here, just three ferrets. So, guess what, we dumped Dew into the mix. No problems, all were having fun together, in went Fabian, and finally Higgins. We were concerned about Higgins, he used to be Juggernaut, and for a reason. He is very rambunctious, just big and fuller of energy than most. Well apart from a bit of a drag across the floor of Laura until she was taught him his lesson. All went well for the rest of the hour. These two girls should be tried with other ferrets in the shelter, under strict supervision, because they seem able to mix with others quite well. They did the same mixing with Ali’s two boys a couple of weeks ago.

We did see one funny thing during this gathering. Our boys all needed their nails cut so we decided to do it while at the shelter. When we were finished, we gave each a bit of tone on the belly and let them lick it off. We also gave some to the girls so they would not be left out. Well it so happened that Burke was placed next to Gloria while they both licked themselves clean, weeellllll.,……………. Gloria finished first and decided to help Burke and started to lick his belly. I haven’t seen Burke move so fast with such an indignant look on his face when she licked his privates.


Then our boys went to bed and out came Hercules and Sophie in one room and Tommy and Bailey in the other room. I had T & B in the main room. I also filled a box with some leaves from the bag in the back room. Bailey went absolutely nuts when dumped in the leaves and then had leaves poured all over him. Tommy was excited too but not as nuts as Bailey. On Bonnie’s side, Hercules and Sophie were introduced to first Burke and then Dew. Hercules did not like Burke being there but took some time to get nasty. He tried to intimidate him, but Burke can’t be intimidated, he just ignores aggressive ferrets and goes about his business, this must have frustrated Herc, cause he then tried to teach Burke a lesson, and although he wasn’t getting very far we pulled Burke out and put in Dew instead. Sophie got to Dew first and tried to take a chunk out of him. Looks like Sophie and Herc are great together but not with others at the moment. Neither was very impressed with playing very much in the leaves. They were both active until about an hour had passed and then Hercules went down for a snooze. Sophie was still active when she was put away, with a large dose of goop on her belly.

Tommy prefers the paper box to the leaves.


Lastly we had Juniper and Gizmo out, one to each room. Giz is like a puppy, and wants 100% attention. He actually nipped me to get my attention when it faltered. He now has an impressive coat of fur and needs to get adopted. He will make some one a wonderful personal friend. He is so gentle, and yet loves to play one on one. At some point, it would be interesting to try and introduce him to another ferret. Perhaps we could try him with Laura and Gloria.


While Juniper was out she had Burke for company, and to those that thought she would not mix, they got along fine. She did try to show him who’s boss, but when he stood up to her she backed off and then tried periodically to provoke a reaction from him. He would then ignore her. All in all, they tolerated each other and even interacted quite well. They survived an hour together without any conflict. She is another that should be mixed in with another ferret. Maybe Gizmo.


And that ends Saturday, we have four exhausted boys all curled up and fast asleep. Bonnie and I may not be far behind.


Nigel and Bonnie.

December 24, 2007

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house ferrets were dooking, playing with my spouse…okay, I can’t pull it off so I’ll just stop and give you the skinny on the pre-Christmas weasel run…

 

Hercules and Sophie played well together. Sophie snacked on my right arm all evening. She really doesn’t like me. Perhaps my making her eat her own ass has something to do with it. She played in the leaf box with Herc and they chased each other through the tunnels. Herc  enjoys antagonizing Sophie. He has a terrible habit of goosing her from behind. One day that boy is going to lose his nose.

 

Gloria and Laura were good fun. Laura is not unlike Sophie in that she likes to chew on my arms. She will wander over and just casually hangs out beside me and then out of the blue nip me, then again, then again, then walk away. She never bites hard enough to hurt, unlike Sophie, and will only bit the soft fleshy part of my arms. Of course both Sophie and Laura, and Gloria for that matter do no such thing with Amanda. Gloria climbs everything all the time. Cutting back on her coffee would probably be a good idea.

 

Gizmo looks so good now that his fur is back. Gizmo tunneled through the blankets and towels I piled on the floor. Unlike the icky girl ferrets, Gizmo doesn’t bite. He was a lot of fun to play with. Gizmo spent the better part of his time out digging a rubber ball from the ball box. Once out he hide it somewhere. I’ll ask everyone to keep their eyes open for it, its blue and pink, and a definite choking/blockage hazard if it gets chewed up.

 

Even though Randy had Tommy and Bailey out previously, we had them out again for another 30 minute. They tooled around, dooking and carrying on like they normally do. Tommy is so fat now that his shadow was moved to another cage due to overcrowding. I played tug-of-war with Bailey and the hammock he pulled out of the toy bag.

 

Juniper was let out by Randy before we arrived. Thanks Randy.

 

Merry Christmas to Randy, Olympia, and all the volunteers. Thanks for caring when no one else would.

 

Sincerely,

 

Robert and Amanda.

FW: Randy Belair: Harley Bug

Here's a VERY sweet letter sent to me. Wanted to share.

Miss Randy Melanie Belair

Hi Randy,
Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I "talked" to you. When Tazzie was so sick, you and Harley was talked to often lol. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how much I loved your story in ferret magazine. It made me bawl of course. Lots of forgotten memories of things we talked about, about Harley and Tazzie and how Harley was showing Tazzie how to fight the good fight and how you helped me deal with those that said, put him down. I know you probably don't remember all this, or me for that matter, but you and Harley forever have a huge place in my heart. I remember when Harley died, Tazzie died a month later. I have always thought they are at the bridge together making up for all lifes' hardships they had to endure.
Harley has both eyes, and is the picture of health, and Tazzie, he is NEVER on those Tazzie wheels again. He's running on strong healthy legs and enjoying every minute of it:-)And your mom. I cried when she died. I saw her picture before yours or Harleys when I was thumbing through the magazine. I recognized her as your mom. I recognized her from all the love and stories and pictures you shared of her and Harley. I keep seeing her sharing her pudding with Harley lol. I can't remember if it's Dena or Deanna, but I'm almost 100% positive it's one of those two, even after all these years, and I'm a very forgetful person. I guess my point on this part is the legacies do go on. Anyway, I'll let you go. I just wanted to let you know how touched I was by your story. I remember all the pain YOU went through at the the time, and I know, you were such a great mom. Harley was very, very lucky to have you. Just as lucky as you were to have him.

Hugs and Merry Christmas
Lois Caselman

FW: Rolo & Otis pictures

Wanted to share these with you all. My Rolo and Otis :) Miss them so much but just LOOK how happy they are!!! Merry Christmas all and looking into these kid's faces remember what a great job you all do in helping these little ones find forever homes. We couldn't have a shelter or any success with the shelter without all of you. I am so thankful we have the WORLD'S BEST volunteers. Love you all!!! xx

 

 

Miss Randy Melanie Belair