The London Bunch
This is a documentation of terrible abuse suffered by over (at least) 30 ferrets from London, Ontario. While the perpetrator of some of the abuse, Mr. Robert Jarmain, was found guilty of abusing his ferrets the sentence he was handed down was less than he deserved. Please see our section on Bill C-10 to see how you can help toughen animal cruelty law in Canada. Please note that the links to the form letters are no longer connected as the conviction of Mr. Jarmain was handed down on August 13 1999.
December 29 1997 – story posted to the Ferret Store Message Board
Today I was contacted by the London S.P.C.A. They have a situation where there are 60 ferrets in DISTRESS in London, Ontario. An elderly man has them on a farm in a pen outside in the field. He has not fed or watered them in the 4 weeks that he has had them! The S.P.C.A. has been going over every so often to give them water and food.
Here in Canada, we do not have the resources that the Americans do. There are not as many ferret lovers here and in fact here at the shelter,I have had most of my support from America with the odd exception.
If ANYONE can foster a ferret or two and is willing to go to London to pick them up, PLEASE call the S.P.C.A. there. Mike (519) 451-0630.
I fear that the S.P.C.A. may leave the ferrets where they are if they know that no one will help them to foster or adopt them out. They are in need of all sorts of things. I will be taking as many as I can but I have limited space now having 22 shelter ferrets already. I may be able to take in another 10 or so, but not much more than that.
PLEASE, these ferrets need us. No one else here seems to care about these poor little fuzzies. I have never asked for your help before this and this time I really need it. I won’t be able to sleep if we can’t help even 1/2 of them.
If any of you have Canadian friends in the Ontario area, could you ask them to foster? I will do my dambdest to get them all homes, but this time I need you guys too.
With a heavy heart, Randy – Ferret Aid Society.
December 30 1997 – a story posted to the Ferret Mailing List
In London, Ontario there is an old man with 60 unfixed ferrets. From what I hear from the London S.P.C.A. the place is awful and the ferrets are never given water or food. They are all in a big pen with each other, fighting and dying. They seem to have decent temperment, but are scared and cold. The females are sick (probably anemia) and the elderly man who owns them refuses to get them fixed or seen by a vet.
The London S.P.C.A. is not sure if they will seize the ferrets or not. They are not sure if there is really distress with them. Ya RIGHT!! I understand that the S.P.C.A. here doesn’t like ferrets, but how could you not know that there is distress when any animal is in a filthy cage, thin and doesn’t have food or water.
If ANYONE out there can help, please let me know. I am worried that those poor little fuzzies will die without our help. Please, find it in your heart to take in a fuzzy or two until we can find homes for them. You can reach me by e-mail or phone me at (905) 275-0438. All my love, Randy
December 31 1997 – update
With a heavy heart I write this to you. The London S.P.C.A. has allowed the owner of the ferrets to try to sell them, and sell them he did. There are only 28 ferrets left from the original 60. No one will ever know what fate those poor fuzzies will meet. Will they be used for hunting, baiting for pit bulls, or left in a worse fate unknown to all of us that sat around holding our breaths to see if we could help them.
God only knows if there will be any left tomorrow for us to take. The S.P.C.A. does not have the man power to remove the ferrets tomorrow and I fear for the fuzzies. I am going to do the best I can to get as many out of there as soon as I can and with the permission of the S.P.C.A. in London, I will go tomorrow to do this.
– Randy
London S.P.C.A. is not going to help us remove any ferrets until Friday. However, if we can come up with $540, we can go there tomorrow and pick up the ferrets. What’s the difference? Money.
We will be buying the ferrets tomorrow, on January 1st 1998. Great way to start off the year! I hope all will go well and most of the ferrets will be safe.
– Randy
January 1 1998
Today, members of the F.A.S.T. along with some volunteers and the London S.P.C.A. went to a place not far from hell. An old city dump, converted into a barn and land with a huge sess pool and no running water.It was dark and dismal with no sunlight today. We saw garbage and mess almost as far as the eye could see. The wind blew bitterly and deep snow covered the ground. Goats and geese were seen in the distance and the 82 year old man came forward.
I sent one of my members forth to negotiate for the price of the ferrets. About 15 minutes later, Karl returned to us angry and frustrated. The price had gone up. We agreed to pay and proceeded on the property to remove the ferrets. I had my camera in my hands, but was not prepared to see what I saw. The ferrets were housed in plywood boxes and mesh in the snow. I lifted the lid of one of the boxes and found many ferrets bunched together, covered in snow and laying in wet hay. There was no food or water in the 2 main cages, but some goat pellets were in the a bowl in another cage and that was obviously what he was feeding them.
The man approached me and proceeded to tell me that he traded his 2 dogs for these ferrets and he had no problem selling them for $20 each at the auction the other day. I then told him that there were only 23 ferrets and asked where the others were. He replied that they had gotten loose and he couldn’t catch them.
In the freezing wind, we all gathered around poking and digging through piles of garbage furniture looking for the lost ferrets. There were boroughs, but no ferrets. The man them dropped a bag at my feet and told me it would attract the ferrets. I looked closer at the bag and I saw blood. It was a whole (feathers and all) frozen home killed chicken.
The cold was just too bitter and we had to leave. If he was telling the truth and there are still ferrets on the property, we’ll get them too. After the last ferret was put into the van, we all stood back and looked up in amazement. The clouds opened up, and a bright ray of sunshine smiled at us.
Upon arriving at the London shelter, we vaccinated all the ferrets, clipped their nails and gave them food and water. I picked up a small female and looked at her. My eyes widened with horror when I noticed that her teeth had been cut out. I alerted the others and we checked all the ferrets teeth. Not one was left with teeth. They had all been cut.
Arriving back at our shelter in Toronto, we settled the ferrets in and made them comfortable. It was nice to be home and away from the mounds of snow in London. There was a calm in the shelter after a while and we all knew that the ferrets finally felt safe. We patted each other on the backs and hugged each other. All of us feeling fulfilled and accomplished. It was a long hard day, but I would do it again any day.
The ferrets will need to be spayed/neutered. Some of them will need dental surgery as the cut teeth have become infected. Supplies are needed until we can get them their final shots. Litter pans, water bottles, litter and any financial donations are gratefully excepted.
Randy
January 2 1998
The London Humane Society was so kind in helping us buy the ferrets. They also supplied us with the vaccines and space to assess and immediately care for the ferrets. Inspector Mike Draper and his wife who both had the day off volunteered to help us and spent a full 8 hours doing so. My beef was never with Mike, just the way things went. Now that the ferrets are safe, I guess I seethings a bit clearer.
I still feel that the Humane society moves like a snail and didn’t follow the procedures as I was taught them in MY agent course, but all that does not matter now. The ferrets are safe, and will be looked at by a vet this weekend.
If it was not for all of the volunteers we had on New Year’s day to execute the Operation Fuzzy Rescue, it would have been a disaster. Hopefully this will not happen again, but at least we will be prepared to handle it.
Some of the fuzzies have mild frostbite and one had foot rot that was treated at the Humane Society. They will all be looked after.
Randy
January 9 1998
They are starting to act like *normal* ferrets! They are playing and “talking” and even trying to escape from their cages! The one “jail breaker” we did get, saw me coming and sat in the middle of the floor, looked up at me and decided he was proud of himself and “dooked” on his merry way.
Most of them will be spayed/neutered in the next few weeks as 2 have started to show signs of heat. They are going in today to be “fixed”. Thanks to the efforts of all involved with the ferrets, I think they will all be fine and happy forever!
January 21 1998
They continue to expand their ferret behavior! Every day, they become more and more like normal ferrets. I sometimes sit alone with them and watch them play, and I find myself with a tear in my eye, seeing how lovely they have come out of their shell.
Most of them have been adopted. With the exception of 4, they were all adopted in pairs to keep them together. After all, we figured that the only reason they stayed alive WAS because they were together. None of them will be adopted by themselves unless the new parents have other ferrets.
There are 2 ferrets that we still can’t adopt out. They bite and I need to do some work with them first. I’ve fallen in love with these 2 and I wish I could just keep them. I got a big NO from my boyfriend :o)
Thanks for everything :o)
Randy
January 26 1998
UPDATE; 90% of the ferrets have been adopted into loving homes. Most of those went in pairs with only 3 going into homes by themselves, but those homes had other ferrets too. No ferret went to a home by themselves without other ferrets being involved.
All the ferrets stayed in Canada, with most staying in Ontario. All the fuzzies were spayed, neutered and given 1st shots. There are still a few left for adoption, but I have no doubt that they will be gone soon.
With thanks to :: Sam :: for this page, The Toronto Internet Ferret Group, The F.A.S.T. members and to a lot of strangers who helped out with litter, litter boxes and treats for our little ones. None of this could have been done without you!!!
Randy
February 11 1998
As of January 23, we presumed the 4 London ferrets who got lost to be dead. With tears we had a moment of silence for them. Finding out that there was a hole in the bottom of the pens just made us feel glad that we got the 24 that we did.
February 2nd, I received a phone call that 2 of the 4 that were presumed dead were found! They are very thin, and recuperating well even though they have some external parasites. They are being treated by a vet, and I hope to have them in homes within the next few weeks after they are well enough to be spayed.
There are only 2 other ferrets left from the rescue. They are still here due to some complications and should be ready for adoption soon.
Randy
February 20 1998
Yesterday (Feb 19) 5 more ferrets were brought in from London. None of the 5 females are spayed and 4 of them are from the same place as the rest. One is a sweet albino who was in heat. Luckily, we found a vet who could fix her up today.
The 4 other females, who were dropped off at the farm where not more than a month ago, 24 ferrets were found in awful conditions. Supposedly, the breeder of the ferrets (who is in Windsor, Ont) dumped the little girls off at the farm. None of them have been socialized, and they are quite aggressive. One of them lunges at anyone who comes near her and the others are fear biters.
Again, their teeth have been cut out and again, they were fed goat food. I would like to hear from anyone in the Windsor area who may know who the breeder is. We are not getting any answers from the owner of the farm, and it would be nice to get to the source of all these ferrets and stop this insanity once and for all. I have been told that there may be as many as 60 ferrets with this breeder and that he is the one cutting out their teeth.
Randy
March 13 1998
A new rescue is set in place for yet another batch of London ferrets. This time it’s a breeder and not just some dumb old man who took them from a breeder to sell. There are about 100 or so ferrets in 2 breeding establishments. As I was told, this place makes the original London rescue look like a resort Hilton Hotel. This is so sad if you can see by scrolling down this page and seeing the photos of the last rescue.
We are in the process of finding out information from our local government and by law officers as to what we can do to shut the breeders down and end the problem there. I however don’t think it will be as easy as the last rescue at all. This breeder, if not closed wants $50 per ferret. This means if we can’t close him it would take $5,000 to shut him down by buying his stock.
Regardless of what we have to do, we’ll get ferrets. If there is anyone interested in fostering or helping out with the rescue, please e-mail me at magick@echo-on.net
March 17 1998
The last 5 ferrets that were brought in from London are ready for adoption. You can see their pictures and read a bit about them at out “adoptees of the month” page.
I can’t tell you their entire history, as most of it is a dark mystery filled with painful memories for the four darlings that you see before you. However, I can tell you the parts of the story that we know.
On February 19th, 1998 a road trip to London, Ontario brought these 4 girls into my life.Their background is intertwined with the 24 ferrets that were rescued from a junk yard at the onset of the year, (if you are not familiar with the history please take a minute and read about the rescue). Where these ferrets were during the original trip to London, I don’t believe we will ever find out. However, we are positive that these 4 are a continuation of the original story as the age/markings and chopped teeth are the same as the original crew. However, there is 1 major difference….TIME. Unlike our first encounter with the London rescue that resulted in joyous kisses from 24 happy babies, these girls had lost another month from their lives, and this time showed in the demeanor, they were TERRIFIED!
Armed with tons of patience and love, I brought these 4 scared girls to my house. The first couple of days, brought with them a new respect for fear biters and a sense of awe at how intimidating a hiss can be. However, slowly the girls grew to trust a human and after that they quickly turned into the 4 sweethearts that you see above you. Now, each of them wakeup in the morning looking forward to a day of running, playing and being hugged.
August 8 1998
So, we went. So we saw. So we feel like crying….
2 farms were visited today. Both were sub standard. The 1st was not as bad as I expected, but still bad. He neuters his own animals to start. Has never tried a spay, because as he put it, “no one has ever shown me how”. His place was cleaner than Bob’s in London, but he gave water to the ferrets in old tin cans. There were no bowls or bottles.
The second place was just plain awful. I don’t know how to explain it. It was in a small shed, HUGE flys everywhere and a bunch of kids who were tought by their dad how to “handle” ferrets. They were picked up by the tails, “flicked” really hard on their noses if they bit or tried to bite. The cages were covered in poop and all in total between both breeders there are about 70-80 ferrets. We saw a ferret missing a foot, and were told his mother chewed it off. He was not for sale.
Neither of these breeders believed in Veterinarians or vaccinating. Like I said, the 1st did his own “castrating”. The 1st also **almost** cared about the ferret’s well-being. He’s just not very educated. The 2nd didn’t care at all. They had many animals who were not housed properly from the sun or other elements. The dog’s water was brown and the ferret’s food was moistened and looked spoiled in the hot summer sun. Many of the cages did not have water.
Now, keep in mind we went under cover with a hidden camera. I have all of this on tape (I think haven’t watched it yet). However, this has to be an on going investigation for us and I have to keep good repor with these people. There are at least 5 more breeders which I was told breed very sick ferrets. This coming from a guy who admitted to cutting their teeth out in the past!!
If we want to get info on all the breeders, I have to remain a sweet and understanding lady interested in buying ferrets for research purposes.This, was the hardest thing I had to pretend to be in my life and I’m sure I speak for the rest of us too.
We bought 4. That’s all we had money for. You’ll never know what it felt like for us to have to pick who was saved and who was left behind.
The Ferret Aid Society
August 1998
Aug. 8, 3 of us went in to look at the London breeders. We saw 2 that day. Creepy breeder #1 was not too bad. Not up to par, but not too bad. I used the cover that I was working at a lab that used ferrets for testing, so he told me all about his operation. 1st, he neuters his own animals WITHOUT anaesthetic. He will also admit that he has killed some of them this way (by accident of course), but he will continue to do this.
Creepy breeder #2 was awful. The conditions the ferrets lived in were not as bad as the original London rescue done Jan 1st, but none the less it was awful. They were in a small tin/wood shed. Food and water was not readily available and if it was, it was spoiled.
His kids were tough to pick the ferrets up by their tails and IF they opened their mouths (the ferrets, not kids) they were flicked REALLY hard on the nose. I hear them cry everytime they were hit.
The cages were littered in feces and urine. There were so many flys and filth. We got 8 out over 2 weeks. By the time we were ready to go back a 3rd time, the breeder had sold all his stock and was keeping only his breeders. We are investigating cruelty charges on this case.
Thanks again to Sam for maintaining this page. Without Sam’s help, there would not be a London page.
The Ferret Aid Society
November 17 1998
Bob, (the original London rescue), has been seen by the SPCA with more ferrets. They say at this point there is nothing they can do to remove the ferrets there. They keep issuing Orders to Bob ( a legal paper to make people do things), but so far they have made no arrangements to do anything else.
He is in breech of probation, but nothing can be done to remove the ferrets. He’ll probably SELL them at an auction again to god knows who.
This time I’m hoping we can work together with the SPCA instead of against them.
The Ferret Aid Society
January 3 1999
January will prove to be a deja vu from last year. Again we are fighting the London SPCA and trying to get them to remove ferrets who are not being properly cared for in the London area. Bob Jarmain (of last year’s rescue) is up to his old tricks again and so is the SPCA. I have provided them with letters from veterinarians stating ferrets with cut teeth are in DISTRESS and must be seen by a veterinarian IMMEDIATELY.
Still, they procrastinate in doing anything about these ferrets. Now, Bob is feeding them Dog food which is only **slightly** better than the Goat food of last year. With the recent freak snow storm that has rocked much of North America, I fear we will be dealing with more frostbite with the kids too.
It is so unfortunate that the SPCA is not interested in working with us. I feel this time, things could have gone differently and we could have worked together in helping PREVENT cruelty to animals. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be that way and I plan a trip to London in the next week to go and see things for myself.
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
January 5 1999
January 5th the phone rang at 7 am. My London contact was able to go yesterday.
I wasn’t able to go because I had Salem going to Guelph for pre admit for his surgery on Wednesday (today). I sent 2 very trusted volunteers and this is what they came back with.
Mr. Jarmain (Bob) had 1 ferret. HE IS THE ONE WHO CUTS THEIR TEETH OUT! He uses tweezers and snaps them out without anestethic and without guilt. He says it doesn’t hurt them (much) and that there is no blood.
The single ferret he had, was in a small wooden box in the middle of a field. He had no food or water, and after bringing him home the volunteers discovered he was eating straw after he had his 1st bowel movement. Straw is even less nutritious than hay and is pure fiber.
There was a frozen dead rabbit next to the pen that looked like it had frozen to death where it lay. There were more than a dozen cats being fed dog food and bread. Most of them looked to be kittens and most were in heat. There were 2 dogs without food or water and the animal’s food was stored in a torn bag on top of a truck. It appears he also breeds horses who actually looked good, but still had no water.
The little ferret we got is severely emaciated and was terribly dehydrated. He’s planning another new shipment of ferrets next week and I’m stumped on what to do. I won’t buy them. I won’t feed this man’s insanity. I’ll try once again to urge the London SPCA to get these ferrets out. They need veterinary attention and I can’t do it on my own. If anyone out there has any suggestions, please, please e-mail or call me. magick@echo-on.net. (905) 275-0438
Please also say a prayer today for Salem who is undergoing a serious operation in his chest and a prayer for the other ferrets out there who we can’t get.
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
January 7 1999
The London Saga continues. I found out that because of the letters I sent to both the head office of the SPCA and the London Humane Society, Mr. Jarmain was ordered not to have any more ferrets. He was in breach of this by having the ferret we got day before yesterday.
They have also told me that they will pursue criminal charges for failing to provide this kid with adequate care if we can get the reports together. So, today I’ll be at the keyboard getting this all together.
I’ll still need to go out again to London next week to visit and see if there are any more ferrets there. I sure hope not. He has a court date in February for breach of probation and if he gets charged again, he’ll go to jail. I’ll keep you all up to date in what’s going on. Thanks so much.
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
January 18 1999
Snowy did it! Mr. Robert Jarmain has FINALLY been charged with cruelty to animals (ferrets) because of Snowy! I feel on top of the world! We have fought so hard and long for this moment and I couldn’t be happier!
I’m still urging you all to write to the London Criminal court in support of this case. If they see how much we stick together they will see how much we love our ferrets. Mr. Jarmain’s 1st appearance is March 2, 1999! Here is a form letter you can use.
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
January 23 1999
With thanks to Jeremy Locke of the London SPCA for pursuing our case against Bob Jarmain of Mt. Brydges. As a previous cruelty agent myself, I still think things could have been done a bit different, but, Mr. Locke did everything in his power to help us unlike previous HS staff. He has been a god send with this case and I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to him and the London SPCA.
I’m so glad they worked with us this time and not working without us. It’s unfortunate that all SPCA’s in Ontario don’t take the lead with ferrets the way the London HS did with us. Hopefully, this will show other SPCA’s and Humane Societies that someone does care and even though they have a policy against ferrets, we are still here to help provide the fur kids with homes and love.
Please continue to show your support for the London SPCA and the F.A.S. by signing and sending off the form letter.
Also with thanks to Sam (My hero) for maintaining this page for all of us to see. You are the best!
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
March 19 1999
Bob Jarmain didn’t show up for his 1st appearance on March 2, 1999. He was arrested and spent the night in jail. He was released the following day and sent back into the public. No word on when his next date is.
I want to thank all of you who have written to the London Criminal court on behalf of Snowy, The Ferret Aid Society and The London HS. They have been receiving letters for the past 2 months and are really curious about this case and why it’s gotten attention from all over North America.
In light of the easy Canadian Criminal laws, the London HS has asked me to post this to all of you. In America, the Criminal Code is much stronger in supporting animal’s rights than here in Canada. It is for this reason, I ask yet again of you for help and support. There are still many Bob Jarmains out there and many ferrets and animals suffering in Canada because of our 100 year old laws that have yet to be strengthened.
Please find it in your heart to write to our Minister of Justice/ Solicitor General and request a tougher Criminal Code for Animal abusers. A form letter can be found here. http://home.echo-on.net/~magick/form.html
To write your own letters, please do so at this address.
Crimes Against Animals
Hon. Anne McLellen
Min. of Justice/ Solicitor General
Justice BLD.
284 Wellington St. 5 FL
Toronto, Ontario
K1A 0H8
Canada
Thank you!!!!!!
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
June 5 1999
Robert Jarmain of Mt. Brydges, Ont has his day in court on July 15, 1999. It’s his trial date for the cruelty to Snowy, a ferret we got from him in January of this year. Snowy was kept in a wooden box in the snow, fed hay and had a worm on his back that was left to grow into an abscess. Mr. Jarmain is also the man responsible for the over 30 ferrets from last year who he admittedly cut their k-9 teeth out and left them in small wooden boxes in the harsh winter in London.
I ask you to please continue to send in your letters to the London Criminal Court in support of Snowy. His case may be thrown out because “he’s just a ferret”. In thanking all of you who have already written, please take the time to do so again. You can see a form letter here or better yet, write your own letter.
Thank you so, so much!
London Criminal Court
c/o Prosecutor’s office
RE: Ferret Aid Society
PO BOX 5600 Term. A
London, Ontario
NIA 2P3 Canada
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
June 25 1999
We just got our summons to court for the Robert Jarmain case in London. He’s the one who had Snowy and kept him in a small wooden box covered in snow, fed him hay and left him to grow a worm on his back for 7 months.
The London criminal court has had overflowing letters from all of us ferret lovers, and I thank you for that. Showing support in this case is essential because it’s London’s 1st ever ferret case to be brought before the court system.
Please continue to send support for Snowy to:
London Criminal Court
c/o Prosecutor’s office
PO BOX 5600 Term. A
London, Ontario
NIA 2P3 Canada
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and Snowy’s too!
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
July 15 1999
WE WON!!!!!!!!! Bob Jarmain was found guilty of failure to provide the necessary care, housing and life essentials to a ferret. He will be sentenced on August 12.
Your letters that were written to the court will then be presented to the Judge for review. It was a great day and I am so happy to say we won. Thank you all for your support over the last year and a half. It was a long battle, but we won it.
With special thanks to the London Humane Society and everyone on the FML.
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
August 13 1999
Bob Jarmain was sentenced yesterday. It didn’t turn out as well as we were hoping, but better than nothing. Bob is now banned from owning any animals for 2 years, which, considering he is 82, could be the rest of his life. Lara T tells me that he has 30 days to get rid of all the animals on his property and then the Humane Society can come and take the rest. He has no ferrets currently.
The London Humane Society tried for a ban for 5 years, but under the Canadian Criminal Code, 2 years is the maximum.
Currently, our Minister of Justice is hearing arguments on making the C.C.C. tougher for animal offenders. Hopefully, this will come about soon. If you would like to show your support for this, please go here http://home.echo-on.net/~magick/form.html
Thank you to all of you who wrote into the London court in support of Snowy. It means a lot to me and to Snowy too.
This is good news. I think :o)
Randy
The Ferret Aid Society
Happy Endings… Happier Beginnings – Terrie and Stan Siatkowski – with Gromit January 22, 1998
Terrie and I were privileged to be allowed to adopt one of the rescued London ferrets. After a weekend of playing with them at the Pet Smart store right after their rescue on New Years Day, and a few days of contacting vets for free spays and neuters, driving all over the place dropping them off and picking them up (not nearly as much work as Randy did, though, by a long shot), we finally got our new baby, Gromit, home officially last Friday. He’s been here since last Tuesday, along with two brothers, resting after surgery, but we took them all back to Randy’s on Friday, and she gave us the OK to take him home. Now he’s an official part of our little family. Gromit is an exceptionally cute, chunky little sable, black nose and all. He’s really cuddly, likes to kiss and to wrestle, and already has his favorite toy, the Cheweasel on a string tied to a fishing rod. He’s still a bit skittish. Sudden sounds or movements send him scurrying under the nearest piece of furniture, but he sticks his nose out right away, and will come out if you put your hand down. He stinks something fierce, and we can’t wait to bathe him after the stitches come out.
We already have 5 others. Ferret Math Strikes Again!!! (Three was going to be our absolute limit…). Four of them had their own room, but Stash, the newest, just wasn’t accepted by the others, so he lives in the rest of the house with us. Now he has a little playmate. They’re still getting used to each other, and there’s an occasional screaming match when Stash decides he’s not yet sure what this new thing is, but it’s getting better day by day, and they should be sharing a sleeping basket soon.
We didn’t get Gromit descented, since he has had his teeth cut out by the …person… who had them before the rescue, so we decided not to descent him so he still had some defense, and it paid off. Yesterday Stash tried to get a bit more agressive, and Gromit poofed him one. You never saw a squabble end so quickly! Terrie hadn’t experienced a ferret poof before, so it came as quite a shock to her. She looked in my direction first, but I wasn’t responsible (at least for THAT one!)
Right now Gromit’s just completed his bombing around the basement where I’m writing this. He’s finished tugging at my bathrobe, and he’s pushed boxes away from the walls, dragged socks under the futon, run through all the ferret tubing, generally done all the regular ferret stuff, and now he’s speed-bumping in the middle of the floor. Time for bed for him, and the start of another day for us. Mookie and the back-room boys are scratching to get their playtime. Stash has already done his duty and woken us up at 5:30, and 6:30, and 7:30, and now he’s snoozing under the bed.
We’re lucky to have this new guy. I know the other 22 have all had their neuters/spays done or arranged, thanks to many Toronto area vets who donated their services either free or at big discounts, and many are already adopted out or have their new homes arranged. If the’re anything close to Gromit in personality, I know there will be a lot of happy new ferret homes, and a lot of happy ferrets.
<— Stan Siatkowski —
