It's a Ferret Life

Ferreting out fun: Londonderry event brings pets, owners together

LONDONDERRY – For Ken Walter, an appreciation of ferrets developed during his days driving an 18-wheeler.

This Hudson resident was spending long hours on the road and was looking for a little company. He found it in the domesticated animal, which is related to the skunk and the otter.

"They're great companion animals," Walter said.

Walter joined people from across the region at the Lion's Club hall Saturday to participate in the 12th annual Ferret Awareness Day Ferret Festival, organized by the Brentwood-based 4 Lil' Paws ferret shelter.

The day included a variety of fun and skill races for the animals and a yard sale for the owners.

Walter, who has owned more than 16 ferrets since first raising them 10 years ago, was accompanied Saturday by the six he currently owns. When the ferrets weren't competing in the races, Walter kept his in a cage. He and his wife took turns wheeling the cage around the room in a small wagon.

As Walter found out during his days driving a truck, ferrets make great pets, partly because of their affection and partly because of to their self-reliance; ferrets can be litter-boxed trained.

But Walter said ferrets require a lot of care and can become a financial burden. They are prone to cancer, and racking up a considerable medical bill is not uncommon for ferret owners. They also need to be taken to a special veterinarian who specializes in ferrets, said Sue Kern, who runs 4 Lil' Paws.

But many negatives are outweighed by how loving the small creatures can be, Walter said. Like many ferret owners, Walter takes his pets on regular outdoor strolls, leashes and all. On Saturday morning, before arriving at the festival, Walter walked one of his ferrets for two hours to give it some exercise before having to be cooped up for part of the day.

The Lang family of Raymond also attended Saturday's festivities. Ken Lang, his wife and three sons brought the family's three ferrets.

The little pets got to meet some new friends. At one point, Alex, 12, held up his 5-year-old ferret, Mikey, to greet two of Walter's ferrets, Panda and Madison.

Ken Lang said the family's first ferret came along as a Christmas gift for Alex, his oldest son. The ferret was placed at the bottom of a Christmas stocking.

But as Lang and his wife soon found out, one would not suffice.

"We have three boys, so of course once we had one, we had to go out and buy another one," he said.

Well, the second turned into a third, although the last one wasn't exactly planned. As Lang tells it, he was out driving one day when he noticed an injured animal in the roadway. Not exactly sure what it was, Lang still put his shirt around it, scooped it up and took it home. Enter ferret No. 3 into the family.

Lang said his boys love their ferrets because they are just fun animals to have around.

But don't ask him anything else about ferrets; his wife and boys are the family authorities on the subject, he said.