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Dozer was being cute the other day, so we took some photos. Here is his with what I think he was thinking at the time.

The Hide-E-Hole Ferret Rescue used to be located at a slightly different URL (ferret-hide-e-hole.org). We got our new URL (hide-e-hole.com) to make it easier for people to find us. Since we had business cards and literature out there with our old URL, we retained the old one and just had it refer to the new website. Unfortunately, through a misunderstanding with my previous webmaster, the old URL was not renewed and some jerk from Romania bought it.

He’s not a jerk for buying it. I screwed up and it was up for grabs. The reason why he’s a jerk is that he found a copy of my OLD website and copied the entire thing! It is hosted by a Russian website company, and there is nothing I can do to get it removed. One company said they’d help if I paid $1,500! Right. There was no guarantee and that money could be put to much better use for vet bills!

I petitioned Google to at least remove it from their results list. The ultimate frustration … it was coming up BEFORE my current website! So Google removed it, but there are all those other search engines out there. 🙁 If anyone out there knows how to get the other search engines to remove the bogus shelter website, I’d love to have some help.

The problem is that people who are interested in adopting a ferret are clicking on the first result, which was the fake website. Some people called me, but I’m sure we lost a lot of potential adopters due to this. I can’t do anything about it now, what’s done is done, but I’d like to assure people that THIS is the real, correct and most recent website. I won’t say it’s all that current since I’ve been having trouble getting everything done, but at least this site is more recent than 2008 (which is the date of the illegal website).

I’ve had some recent surrenders who have health issues, and it doesn’t look like I’m going to have much free time any time soon.

I posted this photo on Facebook and offered a 1oz tube of Oxyfresh Pet Gel to the top 2 captions (by popular vote of a panel of 15 judges). It was much, much harder than I expected! I loved them all! In fact, I will post all the submissions at the bottom so you can enjoy them, too.

We finally arrived at two winners, a runner up and four honorable mentions. And still I feel like there were really good captions excluded!

Winners:

• I told you your costume from last year was too small! (Em Jay W)
• That’s what you get for trying at the wrong end. (Delores Barnes)

Runner up:

• Duz dis punkin make mah butt look big? (Susan M. Baker)

Honorable mentions:

• Hep! Hep! Mah doze is relly tuck init!! (Joan Scheer)
• Take out all the seeds, she says … does she say how to take out your nose? No! (Una Galega)
• There’s GOT to be MORE in here somewhere!! And it’s all mine! (Lisa Ann Hellwig Kyriacos)
• Well, don’t take it too hard. I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life, too. (Debbie Polhill Saunders)

All the other captions: I italicized the ones I especially liked.
You’re hogging the pumpkin! Dookie Ferret
The Great Pumpkin said we have to share. Dookie Ferret
Move over, Darling! Wendy Paxton
Get a crowbar…my nose is stuck in the punkin! Carol Lee Dietz
Never ask a ferret, “Trick or treat.” We all know which one you’re gonna get. Christi Boegner Lorenzo
Hey!!! I know you are licking up ALL of the ferretone in there!!! Save some for ME!!! Debbie Fitzgerald
‎*pssst* I think you need the next size up! Lauren MacCubbin Snyder
Dude! Your breath stinks! You need your teeth brushed with Oxyfresh Pet Gel! Valerie Michalski
Who smelt it dealt it! Valerie Michalski
Geez! Does your Momma know your part hog? Valerie Michalski
Who knew Peter Pumpkinhead was a ferret? Christi Boegner Lorenzo
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater had a friend but couldn’t see her! Lauren MacCubbin Snyder
Dude, you really need to get your Narcolepsy meds regulated. Lisa Penn Wolfgang
‎I told you eating turkey makes you sleepy! Barbara Carlson
“Dude! I can still see you! Barbara Carlson
I guess you really *do* have a big head! Barbara Carlson
‎(Whispering) Dude, dats some good stuff der, dats what dey give de cats, dook dook Lisa Penn Wolfgang
OH, Peter Peter, You Totally ARE a pumpkin eater Lisa Penn Wolfgang
Is dat a pumpkin on your head or your just glad to see me Lisa Penn Wolfgang ‎
So that’s how the headless horseman lost his head …. Bethany Pastorial-Williams
Dude, are you really going to keep your head in dat pumpkin til dah 28th, for some comment? Lisa Penn Wolfgang
You’re a ferret not a hog, so share! Sabrina Hill Medina
Oshobi, i said I was going to put your face on the pumpkin , not to put your face in dah pumpkin Lisa Penn Wolfgang Hey
I refuse to go out trick or treating with you dressed up in that same pumpkin suit again honey- you’ve worn it every year & everybody knows it’s you!!! Jennifer Stephenson Lackey ‎
I CAN SEE THE CAVITY!!!!! quick! rinse and spit rinse and spit!! Nikkie Flint
“Hey stupid, it’s upside down” Tootsie Mead
Stupid ferret, me already stolz all the candy, he can smell it all he wants. Tootsie Mead
“There he is! There he is! It’s the Great Pumpkin! He’s rising out of the pumpkin patch!” Debbie Polhill Saunders
“All right, all right! Let’s bob for apples! This is the way to do it.” Debbie Polhill Saunders
What kind of costume is that? Debbie Polhill Saunders
“Must…get…that…candy corn!” Shannon Moore
All I got was a bunch of rocks Debbie Polhill Saunders
Hey…the mean old lady up the street didn’t give us any candy. Let’s go dook on her porch til she does! Brit Mowry
Don’t hog all the candy!! Let me have some too! Brit Mowry
There is still a crumb down here in this corner…if I can only get my mouth down there. Must…reach…further…ah ha!… I GOT IT! Brit Mowry
Are you sure this won’t be missed by the headless horseman? Sheryl Alexander
Hey, hurry up! We need to get it back before Mom misses it! Sheryl Alexander
Sniff…sniff…this butt sniffing isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. How far do I have to sniff? Jackie DeCarlo
Hmmm…who said trix are just for kids?? Jessica R Smith
I’m the one with the mask. I should be getting the treats! Kathy Browning
Hey bro … are you stuck? Or did you fall asleep in your food again? Alicia Murray
Aw gee dad, do you have to test them ALL? Henry LaPierre
Hey dummy, that’s Christmas where they need somebody with a big colored nose. Henry LaPierre
Psst…not bad enough you got your head stuck in a pumpkin. Now they’re taking pictures of you to put on Facebook! Joe Rembisz
Pssst … dem hoomans do dis, dey wike to see us get in prwedickaments wike dis…we wike da funny noises dey make…wike cackling! Lisa Penn Wolfgang
Hey, suppose to be twick OR tweat…not twick AND tweat. Oh man. Lisa Penn Wolfgang
Just ’cause you licked ’em all doesn’t make ’em yours! Debbie Polhill Saunders
Ok now go and put your head in de pumpkin and dount to ten (hee hee hee) and I go hide (he falls for it every time) Lisa Penn Wolfgang
I think the song goes: You put your right foot in…not your nose! Debbie Polhill Saunders
I’m gonna count to three and ya better back away from the treats or ima show you what the hell in Halloween means. Venus Fortner
My what a big nose you have. Barbara Carlson
I’ve never heard of bobbing for pumpkins before Barbara Carlson
That doesn’t smell like any butt I’ve ever sniffed before. Barbara Carlson
No you don’t look like Rudolph. Barbara Carlson

The neurotic little guy who hadn’t been left out of his cage in over a year is doing better. We still need to be a little careful, and I haven’t gotten up the courage to try to bathe him yet, but he’s having a great time playing with his friends and has realized I don’t want him to bite my shoes — a vast improvement!

Ferrets, ferrets everywhere, and not a drop of calm!

The big news this week is Dallas, a 2-1/2 year old male dark-eyed white who had not been left out of his cage for over a year. “Oh yeah, he bites,” the owner said after he chomped on my finger while opening the carrier.

The poor thing is completely neurotic. The first night he attacked my shoes (we’re not talking play biting, we’re talking trying to get down to the meat) and everything else in sight. He kept at it for hours, too. Even the toys I tried to get him to play with were viciously chomped. I had to handle him with a leather glove for a while until he stopped chomping on the hand that was holding him.

I think we’re making some headway, though. He has learned the delight of Ferretone, and with many small treats, he is starting to look at humans differently. It is heart-breaking, though, to see him flinch if he sees my hand in the air.

The vet prescribed Clomipramine, an anti-anxiety drug prescribed for dogs. It takes a while to work, but at least I haven’t seen any bad side effects.

I’m not saying the previous owners were horrible people. A very human reaction to being bitten is to swat at the animal. Things escalate, people smack harder, then they got a dog that wanted to eat the ferret, and so they just left him in the cage. He was being fed Walmart food, and way too much backbone was showing when he came in. He’s been eating and eating and eating since he arrived. I love how most ferrets will recognize good food and chow down. He is already plumping up a bit.

I am hoping to be able to bathe him by the weekend … wish me luck!