Guilty and Never to be Proved Innocent

Why is it that the Hooman’s have a saying that says “Innocent until proven guilty,” But us critters are automatically deemed guilty and rarely if ever proven innocent.

Hooman’s do not take what other hoomans say at face value when a crime is committed yet when it comes down to us being accused there is no real investigation if a hooman states they saw us do something then it has to be true even if that hooman is not very reliable or they think they saw was true then it should be proven.

We Live in a world where critters are frequently the scapegoat and unless our pet hooman’s start to demand that we at least get the right to prove our innocence when we are euthanized because we supposedly did something horrific such as gnaw on a child then we should have a necropsy performed. The act should not be set in stone just because someone said we did something when we could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The reason for this post is that Iz found out that there was no necropsy done on the three ferrets or the cats in the case of the baby being supposedly mauled by ferrets. The reason given was that the mother saw one of the ferrets on the child and as Iz has stated multiple times there is a chance that the ferret was trying to comfort the child. Yet the only test done was for rabies and only on the ferrets.

The officers involved stated that the bites were consistent with a ferret’s bite except if we were to bite into something to leave an impression and a cat did the same thing you would see that the bites would be very similar and unless there was a scientific comparison to rule which one left the mark it would be very hard to tell and yet none was done.

So as far as the media, those watching the media. and law enforcement are concerned the ferrets were the evil animals that attacked a defenseless child and caused severe injuries that will require multiple surgeries to repair. In the minds of those people the ferrets deserved to die but did they really? We will never know the truth. Granted the children have been removed from the home and the parents charged with child endangerment.

What do you think? Should any animal accused of attacking a hooman that has been euthanized have a necropsy done to prove/disprove the report?

Have a Chittering Day,

Manny

Ferrets in the News Again

this time it is not a happy story. It seems on the day that New York City Hygiene and Mental Health board was having a hearing on whether or not they will lift the ban on ferrets a month old girl was supposedly mauled by the families three pet ferrets.

The article is short and does not have a lot of facts to explain what happened but the one thing that is very clear is that the parents were not thinking when they strapped the little girl into her car seat and set in on the floor before going upstairs to be distracted.

Hooman has always said that ferrets and small children do not mix and like the case in Missouri we may never know the truth.

You can read the article here and draw your own thoughts but wez have some points to make.

1. Wez do not know many pet Hoomans that would leave a month old child unsupervised around their pets.

2. Said parents were not in another room but upstairs well away from the child.

3. The ferrets were not properly housed. Iz do not know what a cloth cage is.This is not a cage it is a playpen for doggies not to house ferrets

4. There is no mention of what happened to the ferrets but unfortunately our guess is that they were euthanized to be tested for rabies.

5. The couple’s other four children were put into child protective services with no explanation as to why.

 

Our fear is that this story will make New York decide not to lift the ban due to the injury to the child. We can only hope that News stories like this stay far and few between.

Please leave your thoughts but any flaming will be deleted. Wez are not blaming the child or the ferrets. The only ones truly responsible for this tragedy are the parents.

Have a chittering good day,

Manny

Update on Infant that Lost 7 Fingers

 

In January of 2011 I told you about the story of an infant that supposedly lost seven of his fingers to a ferret that was killed by the child’s father by being thrown across the room.

 

I updated the story in June of 2011. But that wasn’t the end of the twisted tale. In June of 2013 the mother was being charged with child endangerment and not even a felony but a misdemeanor as long as she completes an inpatient drug treatment.

The ferret is still being blamed for the child losing his fingers but the necropsy (autopsy of animals)  of the ferret showed no human flesh, bone, or nails in its stomach or GI track. The ferret was killed by the boy’s father by throwing it against the wall.

Where are the animal cruelty charges against him? What about the child endangerment charges? At first both claimed they were home asleep at the time of the supposed attack but later their cell phones showed that neither one was at home.

It is stories like these that media puts out with missing information that give ferrets a bad name.

Do I feel bad for the child? Of course I do, he has to go through life with two thumbs and a stub of one finger.

Do I believe the story that a ferret did the deed? No because there is no proof that, the ferret did it. Just what the parents said happened.

Do I think the mother is getting off lightly? Yes, I do and I don’t think it should have been reduced.

Do you think that the adoptive parents of the infant should have any say in the punishment the child’s birth parent?

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Blog Paws 2013 Photos

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We are defiantly feeling the Blog Paws Hangover today. Still can’t believe it is over already.

Next year we are headed to Vegas!  Enjoy the photos.

Have a *yawn* Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Blog Paws Nose to Nose Finalist

               

 

Enlightened Ferret is a Finalist in the Best Wiggle Blog category for a Nose to Nose award. This year our competition is:

The Rat Whisperer

My Mini Pet Pig 

The Maaaaa of Pricilla 

Congrats to you and may the best wiggler win.

We also want to make sure we thank our two amazing sponsors for our attendance at Blog Paws this year.

Our first sponsor has supported us for the Salt Lake City Blog Paws and this year. She is one of the funniest ladies I know with a dog that loves his neighborhood cats and who created the Cat Patrol. This Canadian loves to have a good time and it shows in her smile. We can’t wait to see Lisa Taron who is known as The Pet Blog Lady  in Tysons Corner.

Our other sponsor has been a part of the Enlightened Ferret family in so many different ways. From the birthplace of Manny and Marylin to many of the toys that are hidden within the kid’s room. Marshall Pet Products was established in 1993 as a new division of Marshall Farms.

This is a new adventure for both of us so I can only hope it will be the start of great things to come for the both of us.

COUNTDOWN TIMER WIDGET

 

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Wordless Wednesday: Video

 

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Year in Review: 2012

I am sitting here wrapped up in a cozy blanket with three ferrets playing hide and attack the toes making me giggle and squeal, as they get a little rough. Boyd the cat is sitting in the window looking at the snow falling while he is safely away from those needle teeth.

This year has had a lot of up and downs for us.

In January, Manny turned two and while the twitter pawty had several hitches, it was still a fun pawty and it lasted a lot longer than planned.

February brought home the fact that ferrets can injure themselves easily when Marcuz did something to his back and it took us five days to get to the vet because of no vehicle.

Marcus was lucky that he only had some swelling and what looked to be a narrowing of space between two disks that was later ruled as normal for his back.

Because of this incident, the challenge to get a vehicle was achieved by the gracious donations made by so many that follow both this blog and us on twitter.

Thus the Ferret Chariot  became a reality in May and its maiden voyage happened in June when we all loaded up with Doreen from Doggies and Stuff  and took the ultimate road trip to Salt Lake City, UT to attend Blog Paws

Blog Paws was Great as usual and thanks to Michelle Maskaly making me do a tout that I laughed about doing several times before it could be posted. I felt comfortable enough to do a radio interview with Steve Dale show #389 which led to other interviews that I would have never done otherwise.

August saw the addition of Marylin   to the Enlightened Ferret family.

September we loaded up the Ferret Chariot and drove across the state of Pennsylvania to participate in the Berks County 35th Annual walk for the Animals  and help out Boris Kitty’s  human 2 and Edgar support a great place.

We also went to the local pet fest and participated in the pet parade along with educating many people about ferrets.

October, November, and December saw us less online as I had a lot of orders come in for unique ferret costumes.

While we say goodbye to 2012 we are looking forward to the adventures 2013 has planned for us.

Have a Chittering New Year’s Eve Day,

Jo

Ferret Misconception on TV

Disclaimer: I do not watch Two and Half Men and have not seen the episode so can only comment on the article on Examiner.com

When I first saw this post in the examiner I was curious as to how the show had angered the ferret community. I don’t watch the show as it has never appealed to me but now I am outraged at the fact that this show has gone out of its way to bring the ferret into the public’s eye in the most misleading way.

The more I read through the article the more concern I got about how much of the misconceptions were seen as truth to those that have no knowledge about ferret ownership.

This isn’t the first time the media has put bad lighting on the ferret but it needs to be balanced with the truth so that people can make the distinction between falsehoods used to make a show seem funny.

The first thing I want to point out is that it is illegal to own a ferret in California unless you have a wildlife permit. This is due to the California Wildlife and Game office that placed the ferret on their wildlife list in 1932 and has refused to remove it from the list by stating that if a ferret was to get loose and breed it would be a threat to the California bird population.

The fact is if an intact ferret did get loose in California, it is highly unlikely that it would find another ferret to breed with. Ferrets also do not do well in temperatures over 72 degrees and California is known for its high temperatures in the summer.

While ferrets are related to the mink and weasel, they don’t have the hunting knowledge that these two do and would become a larger animal’s meal.

Ferrets can get up to five pounds but do not maul people as shown in the show. The average weight for a ferret is between 2-3 pounds and is easily defended against.

I won’t say they don’t bite because ferrets do bite for many different reasons.

1. From being abused

2. From being Frightened

3. From trying to taste what they smell on your hands

4. Trying to get you to play

5. Because they are tired

6. Because they are sick

7. They are still learning what is acceptable

I travel with my ferrets and I am overly cautious about who gets near my ferrets. I make sure their vaccinations are up to date which include rabies and distemper.

I must point out that there have only been 14 cases of rabies reported from a ferret in the last 52 years. Rabies is fatal to ferrets as they often die from the virus before it can be spread to another pet or human.

While ferrets can be trained to come to a squeaky toy or a clicker, they can’t be trained to attack. As stated above I did not see the episode mentioned so I can’t tell you how they would have created the illusion that the ferrets were attacking.

I can tell you from experience that ferrets will jump at you with all four paws spread out in an attempt to get you play and they will climb up your pant legs because to them it is a tunnel that needs to be explored.

My other complaint is that one of the scenes has Rose placing the ferrets in a car. Talk about bad publicity for leaving a pet in a car with the windows rolled up.

Also, a ferret wouldn’t just lay around waiting for someone to open the door they would find a way into the dashboard and into the engine compartment and finally the ground.

As I have said before I travel with my ferrets and I educate people about ferrets wherever I go. In the three years that I have been attending Blog Paws, Bark World, and other pet events I have been able to dispel many of the misconceptions of ferrets along with showing people that ferrets can be an entertaining pet.

In fact, I was told by one attendee at the 2011 Blog Paws that they had been afraid of ferrets because of all the bad press they had seen but now wasn’t afraid of ferrets because of the time spent with my two boys and talking to me about them.

If Chuck Lorre wrote this episode and is connected to social media, I can only hope that he will realize how much harm the episode could have done to the ferret.

While I’ve never watched the show, I might have given it a try had he not put the ferret in such an evil light.

What I can say to the writers of Two and Half Men think about how much viewers believe from television before writing another script that places another animal species in the wrong light.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

On the Radio

Today is a big day for me. I am going to be on Talk 2 The Animals radio show tonight at 9:40pm EST. I’ll be talking about ferrets and about the fashions I make for them as well.

Then on Saturday the boys, their sister, and I will be on the other side of the state participating in the 35th annual Walk 4 the Animals.  We are trying to raise a small amount for the Berks County Humane Society to help the animals that are looking for new forever homes. We hope you will help support us in our endeavor by clicking our link and donating a buck or two.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Ferret Fashion Show

I don’t know how many of you know that I design ferret clothing for my boys and for other ferrets. To date I have made everyday shirts, tuxedos, dresses, and even designed military BDU’s better known as fatigues.

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I’ve been marketing these on Etsy and been auctioning several different outfits off on Fabulous Ferret Finds Auction page on Facebook. Which has begun to earn me a little money but thanks to this endeavor, I have come to the attention of several different outlets.

One of these outlets is hooked on the idea of a Ferret Fashion Show. I would love to help a shelter or rescue by creating several fashions that would be shown off by the shelter ferrets and then could be auctioned off with all the proceeds going to the shelter.

I am just not sure where to start other than asking first off what do you think of this idea?

2. Would this be something you would be interested in doing?

3. While I am thinking Western PA because it is close to where I live, other places would be fine too.

I would have Manny and Marcuz as part of the show and they would show up in the Ferret Chariot   along with some other surprises.

If this is something you would like to be a part of. Please contact me either by the comment box or slide me an email at enlightenedferret@hotmail.com

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

On The Radio!

I meet Steve Dale at Blog Paws and we hit it off and he asked to do interview with me about ferrets and today the bit aired.

Please take a listen.

 

Have a Chittering Day,

Jo

Blog Paws 2012

 

Wow I can’t believe that it’s been here and gone already. So many great things happened and are still happening for Enlightened Ferret.

First traveling with the boys in the Ferret Chariot was a grand adventure. We ended up on the wrong route but Doreen from Doggies and Stuff and I enjoyed our adventure.

One of the most breath taking views was going over the Rockies on Hwy 40.

 

 

 

 

 

Then we stopped at a rest stop only to find we were at the point of the Continental Divide.

Once at the hotel Manny was quick to check out the pillows

 

 

 

 

 

We got to see Tilman on his skate board

 

 

 

 

 

I also got to meet Steve Dale who writes a column for the Chicago Tribune and gave me a wonderful opportunity that I will tell you about later. 

We were also a finalist for the Nose to Nose awards and I made the boys tuxs for our walk down the red carpet. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of them but I am sure they will show up on other blogs, twitter, and/or Face book.  We also didn’t win but that is alright as we had a blast being there.

As always I learned a lot from Blog Paws and I am still processing everything.

 

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Living Life Like a Ferret

Ferrets live life in the fast lane and to the fullest extent that they can. You can see the passion in their eyes as they take on a new challenge or adventure.

This week I made the decision to become the Crazy Ferret Lady and oddly things that I have been wanting to happen have started.

First was being the Featured Blogger on Pet PR’s site while I knew I would eventually be there I did not expect it to happen this week.

Then I was chosen for a writing job that has to do with pets. While it isn’t directly related to ferrets it is part of my passion and may lead to some other pet/ferret related work.

I did a prelim interview about the ferret clothing I make and while I am not ready to let more details out know that it will be huge for me and the boys.

So know your passion make the decision to follow your hearts passion to the ends and above all else grab that shiny and run like hell to your hidey hole to make it yours alone.

 

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Pawing Forward

 

 

 

I’ve been fortunate to meet some really great people and their pets through my blog and on twitter.

 

One of them is Cokie the Cat . My boys got to meet Cokie’s stand in at Blog Paws along with Flat Tyler.

Cokie has this truly awesome contest on his blog. The contest is for a 100 lbs of pet food from Natural Balance for the next few weeks. That means you can enter each week for your chance at winning.

Natural Balance is helping to promote the famous skateboarding dog named Tillman and his new show on Animal Planet called Who Let the Dogs Out .

Cokie is feeling a little low cause not many are taking advantage of this great chance to get some free pet food for themselves. He’s wondering if maybe people don’t realize that they can donate their win to their favorite no-kill shelter.

Think how much relief a 100 pounds of free food would take off of the shelter’s mind. While it is true a 100 pounds of food might only last a month that means that their budget just got extended by a month.

So hop, run, wiggle, walk your way over to Cokie’s blog and enter into this fantastic contest and don’t forget to check out Who Let the Dogs Out on the Animal Planet.

 

Have a chittering Good Day,

Jo

Blog Paws Part III

 

What an awesome event. Even with the aftershock from the previous Earthquake and the threat of Hurricane Irene Blog Paws out did itself. Loved the sessions I attended and the people I got to meet and talk to.

The food was great although the cheesecake was a bit smaller than the first Blog Paws but I loved the edible Blog Paws tag. 

The hotel staffs were wonderful and made their end look like a well oiled machine while they dealt with us and their other guests. The event staff of By Design were also outstanding in making everything run smoothly.

I am recharged mentally with information to share on Enlightened Ferret but still physically tired. You never realize just how wound up you get at a conference with like minded people until you get home and all the adrenaline dissipates from you.

How wonderful it was to hear that the ferrets were a favorite part of Blog Paws and that one of the puppies from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue was adopted.

One of the best parts of Blog Paws was being able to be one of the first media outlets to see the new Buddies movie and talk with the director of the movie and having a picture taken with B-Dawg more information about this in upcoming posts.

The amount of swag was mind blowing. The vendors were great and the stuff they had to talk about was informational as were the stuff they were giving out. At the end of Blog Paws those same vendors gave away stuff to the hotel staff and many of the guests that were stranded because of Irene. What a great way to show those not in attendance how caring pet people can be.

For those that weren’t able to attend Blog Paws 2011 you can read about it on the blogs of those that did go and you can start planning your trip to Blog Paws 2012.

Blog Paws will be in Salt Lake City from June 21-24 2012. More information will show up in the coming months and as always pets are welcomed.

To all my new twitter followers it is going to take me some time to follow back as I am back home to my slow dial up.

To those that weren’t aware of it Manny and Marcuz have their own facebook page. Enlightened Ferret Travels Blog Paws was their first big adventure. Please give them a like.

This is Tuesday and our Featured ferret from ">">Pet Finder is Whiskey Girl of Balch springs,TX.

This Texas girl is one spunky senior who needs a loving home without another ferret or children. She is on medication for the rest of her life but TFLR is willing to help pay for them.

Could it be that Toby Keith’s “Whiskey Girl” was her inspiration for living and loving humans?

If only this little spitfire could talk what would she tell us? So if you live in Balch Springs, TX or know someone who does and can give this little girl a forever home please pass on this info.

Disclosure: I get no financial assistance for posting these ferrets. I pick from the newly listed ferrets on Pet finder and give them some publicity via Enlightened Ferret, twitter in hopes that the right person will read the post and either adopt or send the link to someone looking to give a fuzzy a new forever home.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Update: The Ferret and the Infant

     Back in January it was reported that a 4-month old infant lost 7 of his fingers to a ferret while his mother supposedly was sleeping nearby. As I stated in my post back in January  there was no way a parent could sleep through a baby screaming his/her head off from being bitten.

     Almost 6 months later the parents are charged with child endangerment after it was found that the parents weren’t even home when the incident occurred. What parent leaves a 4-month home alone and where was the sibling that was also removed from the home?

     While there has never been proven or disproven that the ferret did actually chew off the fingers the fact remains that two small beings lives were changed one night because of human stupidity. The infant has three fingers and the ferret is dead.

     The incident would have never happened if the parents, and I use the term loosely, had just given up the ferret when they had taken it to have its teeth removed, a barbaric measure, because it nipped the baby. I also feel that the vet office failed both of these little guys by not reporting the fact that these people had the audacity to ask for such a horrific procedure to be done to the local ASPCA for a welfare check on the animal. Would it have saved the ferret’s life or the infant’s fingers? We will never know.

     But because of this story ferrets have been given a bad rap that I have worked very hard to undo. I can only hope that this story is only one in a billion. This story also shows just how much the media is out to get ratings and not the whole story. Even in the link provided the article says that they had tried to give up the ferret when in truth they refused to give it up.

     I am sorry but I hope these two unfit parents never get back their children. Will we ever know the truth about this story? I personally believe that this will be the last we here of the Waldo’s until their next big screw up and we will never know the truth about what happened to the infant.

What is your opinion or thoughts? What do you feel is an appropriate punishment for these two?

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Responsible Ferret Ownership

     I was sent two links about ferrets as pets on twitter. The first one was about a baby losing seven of his fingers to the family’s pet ferret. The father of the infant killed the ferret by throwing it across the room where it hit a cabinet.

     The second was about how people are calling the Kansas City Ferret Hotline not to ask for help but to give up their pet for fear of it turning into some cannibalistic thing.

     First let me say that the family should have never had a ferret in the house with an infant if they weren’t going to supervise both the ferret and the infant. It also remains to be seen why it took so long for the parents to even realize something was wrong especially since the mother was supposedly on the couch right beside the child.

     Ferret bites hurt and even I scream when one of my boys decide to do the lick, lick, chomp that all ferrets are capable of doing. With that said it must also be said that the parents are under investigation for neglect and the fact they failed to get the necessary exotic license for having a ferret in the first place.

     Second let me tell you what else I have found since starting research on this incident. Two days before this even happened the parents were trying to find a vet to remove all the ferret’s teeth so it couldn’t bite the child. “Angela Simpkins, a metro ferret advocate, says that she offered to take the ferret but was turned down by the family, who had planned to have the ferret's teeth pulled out before the gruesome attack”(1)

     If the parents had just surrendered the ferret at that time both the child and the ferret would have never made the news. Also having a ferret's teeth removed for no other reason that to keep it from biting is barbaric and cruel.

     It is this kind of news story that give ferrets a bad name. It has been my mission for over a year to promote responsible ownership and have said in many of my blog posts that ferrets and babies/small children DO NOT go together.

     Ferrets love anything that makes noise and will try to take the noisemaker to his/her hidey-hole. Babies make all sorts of strange noises that a ferret would want to stash.

     It is also possible that the ferret that lost his life was hungry and the child had something on his fingers that tasted good. It also needs to be said this did not happen in seconds it took time for the ferret to chew off that many fingers.

     Pediatrician think that ferrets are attracted to babies cause of the milk smell which makes they think of suckling prey. I personally believe it is the fact that they squeak and the wild movement they do but that is my personally belief.

     Ferrets have teeth like a cat and those with cats can tell you that it takes a cat a while to eat a small mouse which is equivalent to a minimum of three infant fingers.

     It must also be said that a ferret can be hurt or even killed by a small child loving on it too hard. Like any animal a ferret will bite and scratch anything causing it pain. So if you do have a ferret and children it comes down to common sense. There needs to be supervision of both ferret and child for both of their safety.

     Have a place to keep the ferret contained when you can’t supervise them together. This gives the ferret a safe place to be and allows the child to be a child without you fearing that something bad is going to happen.

     Lastly if you don’t know that much about ferrets and you really want one wait until the child is old enough to understand that ferrets are not dogs or cats and can be hurt by them and do a lot of research before you get one.

     Ferrets can be great pets but they are not for everyone. Ferrets are high maintenance in many of the same ways an infant is dependent on you for the first years of his/her life.

What are your feelings about this whole incident?

Have a chittering good day,

Jo

1. http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-woman-says-family-planned-to-pull-ferrets-teeth-before-attack-20110112,0,3269293.story

Have People gone insane or …

The more outrageous the conduct of our supposed role models the more media attention they get. First let me say I don’t know who Holly Madison is but this story tops even Paris Hilton and her ignorance for not getting her dogs fixed. The story I am talking about is about her marrying her ferret.

I am a ferret lover and think that they are one of the greatest pets I’ve ever had but I wouldn’t want to marry one of them. So it just comes down to the celebrities of the world have gone insane and the media isn’t helping with its “Oh how cute/bizarre/sexy.” You pick the word you think fits best stories.

Even if this site is a joke and it appears to be one. It goes to show just how low the media can go just to have a story for its readers.

My goal in life is to be a journalist and not a two bit faker but sometimes it’s hard to tell the fake from the real thing. Read the story but read it as a story and not as the truth just because it is posted on a supposed news site.

Just my two bit of Chittering.

Keep on Chittering,

Jo