Susie

After my husband and I got married and bought our house, there had been many a conversation with the topic of pets and what kind of pet should we get. My only stipulation was we get an animal that is in need of a home. No pet stores, no breeders and no friends that have the perfect puppy or kitten. I wanted an animal that was abused or abandoned, I wanted to take in something that needed us. Bless my husbands heart (and another reason I love him), he heartily agreed that with as many animals that fill the shelters we will do our best and be the best forever home we could be to whatever animal we chose to be ours.

After bouncing ideas off each other, and the countless times we changed our minds. Trying to do our best to find some precious bundle that would fit with our life style and work hours. We finally decided that a fuzzy was what we needed to bring into our family unit. After reading what I just wrote it makes it sound like our decision was made in a few days. This actually took months and still more months to find the fuzzy we thought would be a good "starter pet". Bob trolled the websites and landed on a few organizations in our area that had a few good candidates but when he saw the picture of Susie, that was it. Love at first sight. And Donnie was her brother and was a package deal. He didn't care he had to have her. The Picture was truly unique. She looked like trouble all over. We made an appointment to meet the ferrets and the shelter parents.

I know I said this before but it will be said many times. I don’t know what goes through peoples minds when they throw away an animal. They made the decision to have a pet. Own up to your responsibility and at least find another safe place if you no longer can care for them. That being said. Donnie and Susie were found alone in an empty apartment. It appears someone was in a hurry to go and "forgot" the two bundles of pure joy sitting in the living room.

I am happy to say that they found their way to a shelter and then to us. They were the start of our "ferret math". Susie brought us to tears with her antics and Donnie acted like he was above all that. They were the odd couple of siblings. However with joy comes the inevitable pain. About a month after bringing home our fuzzies we had to make the decision that would shape us as a family. Do we keep Susie and Donnie or do we give them up? We of course kept the kids and spent thousands that we will never regret. Susie was diagnosed with a bunch of "baddies" as the vet had said. She had insulinoma and adrenal cancer. With those she had other issues like the constant infections the ups and downs with her blood sugar the arthritis since she was getting old. It was heart breaking to see her fight the good fight. And equally heartbreaking to see the pain in my husbands eyes every time she got sick or was just not up to playing with his feet. Donnie knew his sissy wasn’t feeling good and didn’t like to leave her side, and would try to get her to play but just couldn’t get her to muster the strength in the end.

The day she went over the bridge was the hardest day for me. I had to be strong for my husband and for the brother she left behind. Donnie got depressed and wouldn’t leave her favorite bag. He would just lay there. I thought I would lose my boy because he was heartbroken with his loss. I cried in private because I was trying so hard to stay strong. I knew Donnie could sense our pain and I didn’t want to burden him with more stress. I had no clue how to comfort my husband. I had been through this before and knew it was new for him. But what do you say to a person grieving? I’m sorry just doesn’t seem right.

To this day over a year after our loss we still talk of Susie fondly. We miss her sorely and wish she could share in the fun of her extended family. I look forward to seeing her and Simon again when my time comes. Until then I know they are thinking of the tortures they will do to my feet. And like my beloved Simon, Susie was only with us for 6 month before we had to help her across the bridge. Its amazing how strong a bond can get in a short amount of time together and how much the loss hurts.

I will have more on Donnie later. As he still has his tales to tell.

Susie pictured above.

In the beginning!

I would love everyone to get to know my ferrets and all the other ferrets out there.  There are so many in need of a loving home but are neglected and tossed onto the street like yesterdays trash.  I am one of the many people that takes a stand in a more positive direction and takes them into my home.  I unknowingly started doing this years ago.  When  I took in a ferret that was sick from a girl who didn't want him.  At the time I am positive she knew what was wrong with the poor thing and figured she had a likely idiot just willing to take on a daunting task of Ferret nursing. 

That was the day I took in Simon.  I kindly changed his name as I thought it was a huge injustice for a ferret to be called Sylvester (I mean he is not a cat or anything.)  I was told she couldn't keep him because her other ferrets didn't like him and would pee on him.  Well I thought that was the saddest thing I think I had ever heard.  So I brought him home.  I tried to be a responsible ferret owner I read as much as I could on the web.  I got Ferrets for Dummies (btw, best book for rookies out there).  So I think it was about two weeks later I corner this "friend" and ask when he needed to go to the vet.  I was told that he had all his shots when he was born and thats all that he needed.  Well I had owned pets my whole life just nothing this exotic so I figured something was deffinetly off on that comment.  But I let it go seeing that he didnt present with any obvious illnesses.

It wasnt long after that I had noticed that he was starting to bald on the top of his head like a reverse monk and losing fur on his tail.  Not only that but his belly started to "puff up"  I finally take him to the vet and am told he has adrenial cancer and insulinoma and a form of skin cancer.  This poor boy was at deaths door because I wasnt treating him properly due to ignorance on my "friends" part and on mine. 

Now all of the above are all treatable illnesses.  They take lots of money in vet bills and meds.  And lots of  love and patience and massive understanding on ferret healthcare.  But being new to all this and not wanting to toss this poor baby out I did everything a person making $6 an hour could do.  I spent thousands on him and dont regret a moment or a penny.  This story comes to a sad end less then 6 months later when I am finally forced to do the right thing and help him on his way accross the bridge.  I am now 12 years wiser and richer for that expierence. 

I am a member of a foundation that stives to get information out to the public so that all the Simons out there will find love and peace in a forever home.  Its is unbelievable how many people think that a ferret is a disposable pet.  How many people will toss $150 out the window a few weeks after they bought one.  I have four of my own that I have adopted and one that is a permenent foster.  All with sad tales to tell and all the light of my life.  If it were not for them my husband and I would go through the hum drum of life without the pure joy a ferret can give.  This is my blog to enrich others as they have enriched me.