For those of you who have been led to believe that the domestic ferret could pose a threat to native California wildlife, surviving in the wild as an invasive predator, I have a story to tell you. My friend (?) was walking to his front door one day. The dog was barking to get out, and as my friend said, when he wants out the front door, that dog must be up to something.
His dog is, I'm told a cocker spaniel mix, like a miniature retriever. And he also has a cat. What he saw at the end of his front yard was the cat sitting there with a ferret sneaking up behind. The neighbor's ferret had gotten out somehow, and was sneaking up on my friend's cat. So what does he do?
He lets the dog out into the front yard, "He ran--faster than I've ever seen him run before, cleared a 6 foot tall hedge of rose bushes by one foot and landed on the ferret." The dog grabbed the ferret by the neck, and in the process of shaking it flung the ferret directly into a tree trunk, falling to the ground whereupon the cat pounced on it and broke its neck, again. His dog and cat shared the ferret afterwards.
This was related to me by a friend who doesn't even comprehend how morbidly disturbing yet evocative of the plight of ferrets that scene was. Please people, keep your dogs away from small children. Don't let your cats breed. I agree vicious and invasive predators need to be regulated, but I can tell you right now it's not the ferret you need to worry about.
I might add that because ferrets are considered illegal here, the owner had absolutely no legal recourse. Not that I'm necessarily against the gratuitous killing of animals, but on the owners a heavy burden lies. To know that your pet got torn apart by the neighbor's dog and cat, and to be unable do anything about it... *shudders* Californians, don't let your ferrets out without supervision and harness leashes. Even then, the authorities may take it from you arbitrarily, forever.
Comment
Index
Previous
(I remembered my song!!)
Next
(Song ideas...)