People ask me all the time how it started. Well, here is my
story. In 1993, I was engaged to a man and things were not going right and I
knew it. So I met another man named Ken and I ran off to Arkansas with him.
When I got there I realized that Ken had a ferret named Zoro. I had never seen
a ferret before; it had fangs and was very fast. I was scared to death of this
thing that could, (I was sure) eat me alive. This thing was dark and had a mask
and was very scary to a woman with two children 4 and 5 years old. We married
and he let me know he was never going to get rid of his child Zoro and I didn’t
have to get rid of my children either. Being married to a military guy came
with lots of confusing ways, one was just after we got married they sent him
for three months to Virginia. I was stuck with moving onto base with this
thing, I was sure was related to a rat, lol. I moved everything into our new
home and that night before I went to bed I went to feed this horrible thing
with fangs. I noticed the cage door was open. I asked the children if they knew
where the Zoro was. They let him out because he looked sad in the cage. I looked everywhere and couldn’t find
the Zoro. I went to bed crying and thinking of how my divorce would go. I left
the front door and the screen door open all night just in case he might come
back in.
Morning came and I awoke slowly. I looked down on my chest and
the Zoro was on my chest as I was sleeping. I tried to quietly yell for the
kids. My son came into my room and laughed. He told me he would not get Zoro
off of my chest for me. He thought the whole thing was funny. I laid there for
what seemed like hours waiting for this Zoro thing to wake up and get off of
me. I kept picturing this thing eating me if it woke up hungry. I could hear
the kids wrecking the house. I had to get up whether it woke up or not. I
slowly put my hand under the Zoro and lifted it up. It woke up and stretched
and yawned. But then like he had planned it he looked at me like, “why don’t you
like me?” I started feeling sorry for it. I decided that every day I would get
this Zoro out and try to play with him. By the time my husband came home Zoro
and I were inseparable. Zoro was our baby from then on. HE grew up with the
kids for four years. That is when we got the news we were going to England.
Zoro could not come with us. I was heartbroken. The kids were heartbroken. We
had a friend of our take care of him. My marriage at that point was falling
apart and I thought of staying in the states after my husband left for England.
I went to England and my marriage fell totally apart. I came to Ohio after a
year in England. I called my friend the number was out of service. I drove with
the children back to Arkansas to find that my friend was gone, with her, my
Zoro. My heart was in pieces. I would never get another ferret again.
Things were very hard coming back to Ohio with nothing but the
clothing on my back. I ended up getting divorced and marrying a man named Bryan
Church after being engaged for almost ten years. We bought a new house.
Everything was going great. When what should happen, my son bought a ferret
home named Bambi. I realized it was stupid to punish myself and I feel in love
instantly. I still to this day miss Zoro. I always will. My
son moved away from home and I was heartbroken again. That is when me and my
hubby got two ferrets, Nick and Nora.
What??? How did I go from two to having hundreds pass through my doors??? I am getting to
it…
I was working at the local hospital when I got sick. I was sick
back when I was with my first husband and now I was getting worse. I fell
putting up a curtain in our new house. I woke the next morning and couldn’t
move. I was in a sorry state, I could not do anything for a while but feel
sorry for myself. Finally I was doing good enough to use a wheelchair and
sometimes even a walker. I had no job and a bleak future. That is when people
started bringing me ferrets they no longer wanted. I took all in no matter age
or condition. So in a way people made up my mind for me and made me what I am.
That was over five years ago and we have had many go through our doors and I
loved them all. I still miss Zoro. I know that by now he is at the rainbow
bridge but I wish I could know what the rest of his life was like. I let people
call and get updates on their ferrets because of Zoro. He is and was my first
scary ferret and I will always be thankful to my ex-husband for bringing that
lovely, fangy, hairy, thieving, and wonderful ferret into my life. I will also
never forget my Zoro.