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Dash
• Surrendered to the Shelter on July 13th 2018. He found a Forever Home August 7, 2018! He left for the Rainbow Bridge February 1, 2024. |
February 1, 2024:
Yes, Dash went on his own. I was pretty sure but not positive until I got him out of the blanket. He was in exactly the same spot and position as when I checked on him about 2am. It looks like he just went in his sleep.
July 25, 2020:
Dash likes to steal duck food. Which is very discouraged. But since the barrel just moved outside, he has figured out how to raid the bag. And of course, Leroy is just learning how to get into trouble like this. And before you know it......Life with ferrets......
March 24, 2019:
A begging Dash photo for a morning smile....! -Sandra
March 24, 2019:
February 11, 2018:
Appears all of the kids are doing ok at home. My house sitter sent a series of texts, most all of which centered around how much she adores Dash. She said she never fell for a ferret before she met him. She is madly in love....... He has changed a lot with his winter weight and winter coat. He looks like a small honey bear doing the slinky act around the house. His mask is all dappled, which is just adorable. And he has put on some weight, if you can actually believe that one. I can no longer heft him one handed. I put him up with a treat, and then pick up the other 2 -- he must be almost 5 pounds now. He'll slim down quick in the spring. He is mostly all muscle - there isn't a lot of fat there.
Well...I'd best start to pack some things up. I think I'll be falling asleep quickly if I stop moving for too long!
-Sandra
October 20, 2018:
I had a funny Dash story for you......
I started the woodstove for the first time on Monday. I used to fence it out but the other kids have been so good with it that I stopped using the fence. I let them out just after I started the kindling - so it was still pretty cool - and I figured I'd keep a close eye on him to be sure he would be trustworthy after he checked it out. He was wandering around, doing his normal thing (mostly stealing cat food, his most favorite thing in life other than chewing bedding and eating stars) when he suddenly noticed the flickering flame through the window. He headed over to check it out (and I headed nearer in case he was thinking of trying something stupid). He put his front feet up on the (cool) front frame to look in the window and see the flames better. He put his nose close to the window - sensed the heat - and sneezed/pulled back several times. PERFECT - he learned immediately what was safe and what wasn't. (This is a 150 year old stove -- it is designed so that the frame stays cool, the body gets pretty hot, and the cook top gets searing hot -- but is well out of reach of the critters). He was absolutely transfixed by the flames - just standing, and starting. All of a sudden, like a flash, Merlin flew across the room and body tackled him to the ground! I am not sure whether it was sisterly love, letting him know the stove was considered dangerous........ Or whether it was sisterly love, taking full advantage of him being still and in perfect position for a body slam! :) Either way, it sure gave me a good laugh. And best yet - he has been very respectful of the stove the rest of the week - visiting the flame from a safe distance but not pushing to the warm/hot areas. The wood pile, however, has been a constant source of investigation. At least that is safe, unless he clumsily falls off. He tends to stay pretty well grounded, however - Merlin is the climber.
October 03, 2018:
I let Dash have another star this morning - but the other 2 discovered it before he did. Boy, was he on a tear when he saw that they had nibbled on HIS gift! He wasted no time. And afterwards, he acted like a kid on a candy high - just a crazy man. He is SOOOOO funny. He has also chewed holes in all of his bedding. It will soon be downgraded to squirrel bedding (they chew on everything anyhow) and I will need to break some out of the tent. I've never had such a mouthy ferret! I wonder if he will outgrow the chewing on everything? I figured with lots of exercise he'd be too tired to chew - but no, he still manages to find the time!
A Day in My Life
By
Dash LRFF Mitchell
Today was a good day. I’ve realized how very blessed I am to be such a big fella. I’ll explain why below.
I woke up pretty early today, before my brother and sister. Actually, even before mom came down to feed us and let us out to play. It was pretty boring. So, I thought it might be fun to start the day with a small romp around our play area. First, though, I tried to wake my sister. When she didn’t want to get up, I thought perhaps dragging her out of her bed by her neck might be the trick. She didn’t agree, and screamed like I was trying to kill her! So I decided to romp by myself. Being the big boy that I am, I can pull and move things really well. So I pulled our sleepy bed (sister and brother included) into the middle of the tube play yard and then moved all of the tubes on top of them, so I could run over the bed as I played. That was really fun!
Soon, though, I realized that the short digestive tract of the ferret was calling. I quickly went to the corner, moved the litter box well out of the way, and deposited a large pile neatly in the corner where the box used to sit. Mom sets wee wee pads out for me to use, but honestly, why waste all of that paper or clean litter when you can go directly on the floor? I prefer using the south facing wall where the sun comes through nicely in the morning. I start in the corner and work my way down the wall, so that by evening, the entire area has a line of piles. Such meticulous work I do!
Finally mom decided to let us out to play. I leapt happily out of our area into her arms and squiggled down on the floor. I had been waiting hours to war dance the cat! He loves me too. That cute little swat and hiss he does confirms it for me. He is so funny. Then I spied my STAR! Unfortunately, sister and brother saw the star at almost the same time. I snatched it from them – I am bigger – and tried to run away from them carrying it. OH NO! It got away from me! I squealed loudly to tell them to stay back until I grabbed the star. It got away again! I guess I am just going to have to sit right here and eat it, really fast, before they get to it. Then there is the other job that I have to do every time I am out. It is a small burden, but someone has to take care of it. There is this huge bowl of cat food on the floor. I mean HUGE. Waaaay too big for any cats to be responsible for. I am a big boy and so it falls on me. First, I stand up on my hind legs and put my paws on the rim. It is a crock, so this takes work, but I flip it over. Then, using my huge bulk, I flatten myself out over the spilled food, and set to eating it. In order to reduce the work for the cats, I try really hard to eat as much as I possibly can, while covering all of the excess so they don’t stress over how much food is actually left. It also keeps my brother, who seems to feel the need to help me, away from as much cat food as possible. He really doesn’t need to accept that large amount of work, he is a small little fella.
All too soon, mom says it is time to go back to our room and eat breakfast. Breakfast!? I have eaten so much I’m about ready to burst. But again, I’m the biggest of the three, so it needs to be done. She pops us back in the playroom. Brother again seems to feel the need to help, sister is pretty worn out from getting into trouble during playtime (silly girl – she is so small and lithe she seems to think it is most fun to try to climb as high as she can possibly get! Doesn’t she realize that all of the cats and good stuff are down on the floor?). But, once again, we have huge crocks of both food, water, and then our morning soup/baby food mix. So much work for a big boy. I don’t understand why mom doesn’t get that it is MUCH better to have these things mixed. She always gives them out separately. So again, I work really, really hard to flip first the food crock, and then the water crock. Once they are flipped, I carefully mix the kibble and water on the floor into a large, mushy pile. Phew. So much work. This is when I really realized how blessed I am to be so big. Can you imagine if my brother tried to accept all of these responsibilities? No way the little tyke could do it.
Brother and sister are ready for naps and have moved into the bed. Reluctantly, I join them, but really, who can sleep when the world awaits? So, I crawl into bed, and lay on my side. Lightly, I start to scratch the wall – it is clear, so I can see through to where mom is still working – to tell her I need to come out and get more done. Since she ignores me, I scratch harder. She STILL isn’t paying attention? So, I sit up and scratch for all I am worth. Remember, I am a big guy, and I have a lot of strength and endurance. So I scratch. And scratch. And scratch. Eventually, she gets the message. Or, she just can’t hear the radio anymore. In any event, she brings me a few chew sticks to keep me busy until I do actually fall asleep.
Even big boys need some beauty sleep, so reluctantly, I curl into the bed with bro and sis. I know it will only be a few hours before my services are needed again!
August 13, 2018:
Hi Brenda-
Dash was HYSTERICAL this morning I decided to give him a star from his "other mom"....a little present from home....so before he came out, I fastened it to a heavy laundry basket. I set his brother and sister out near it first -- they casually checked it out, gave it a few tugs, and shrugged, then moved on. Then I set Dash near it. He ATTACKED it! Completely attacked it, like he had been totally deprived of stars forever (which, I suppose, he had in his opinion!). Of course, his interest made everyone else more fascinated - and the more interested they got, the more determined he was to unhook that darned thing and take it away! He would stretch the cord out as far as he could -- and then it would let fly, and he would SQUEAL and leap forward to grab it. He squealed so loudly that it even scared the cats! He had a blast with it. In fact, I have never seen this - but he had entirely consumed it within 30 minutes - not a shred left. Usually those sit around for weeks and months with only tooth marks in it! It was certainly the highlight of the morning. I wish I had videoed it. I don't take my phone downstairs since I get no reception down there - but next time I give him a star, I will need to remember to film it. Hopefully he is as energetic as he was today!
I'm glad everyone bounced back well after their implants. Lance got the extra dose, so I am not surprised it took him a little longer to bounce back. The more wild-child the personality, the harder the sedation usually goes all the way around - and he certainly is the wild child!.
August 13, 2018:
Dash moved in with the others today. They appeared to have missed each other over the weekend - even Merlin was quick to greet him. I did not let him explore their room before moving him in to slightly decrease his over-confidence. It worked well. He buddied up with Cooper to explore. A few minutes ago I went to check them again and Cooper is sleeping, Dash and Merlin are playing tubes. There was no rough play at all today - he just tried to "chin" the other's necks - they just pushed him off. Dash has some buddies!
August 3, 2018:
Dash is smart, he learns quick, I can get him to come to me if I tap on the barrier if I'm on the other side or clap my hands if I'm in the same room with him.
August 1, 2018:
I fell this morning. I had Dash up here, his turn to have Mum's space. I was trying to get my shoes on he was trying to catch my toes. I don't think at this point he wants to hurt me he just wants to catch what's moving. I picked him up to keep him from my foot, I went down on my left knee hard. Dash went flying then hit the floor. We are both okay, he let me check him over to see if he was okay once he came out from hiding.
July 21, 2018:
Dash was trashing his cage this morning because I was not getting his soup to him in a timely manner. VBG He is going to be a good fur kid once he's out of quarantine, I can spend time socializing him.
July 20, 2018:
Dash was playing by himself this morning, beating up on the toys I gave him.
July 19, 2018:
I got Dash to play with me this morning, he was jumping and dooking, chasing the puppet, he had me laughing. He wanted the puppet, I tried to give him a different toy, nope he wanted that puppet. I think he is going to be just fine.
July 18, 2018:
I've been playing with Dash with a ferret puppet I used to get Master Largo socialized. I started doing that yesterday when I was cleaning his cage, he has no idea how to play. He did finally start to dook a bit. This morning we played a short time. He has been eating the blanket in his bed, I took that out and gave him some N-bones. He was chewing on one of them as I walked away.
July 14, 2018:
I got the new kid weighed and named this morning. Name Dash weight 2# 14 oz. He is so funny, when the fur kids in that room run up the tube to the top sleep boxes, he sits in the litter pan looking at the wall his little face following the sound going up. We've never had a fur kid named Dash, Dr Sandra suggested the name.
