The Legend Of Zelda...

I hate when people close to me call me in the afternoon. It's always bad news. Yesterday my dad called me to tell me that one of my ferrets and best friends, Zelda, passed away in her sleep. My parents have been housing the ferrets since christmas and my dad told me last week that Zelda was looking a little lethargic but then a few days ago said she seemed to be fine and back to normal, but then called yesterday with the bad news. Ferrets typically live between 6-8 years and she was about 6 but developed an Adrenal Disease close to 2 years ago.

Zelda: June 2003 - February 7th 2009




















I've never lost a pet before. It's unimaginable. Zelda was the most charismatic person or animal I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. She was always full of energy and curiosity, never afraid of anything. She would bum rush anyone who got in her path and then lick them to death. She never had time to cuddle because there were always a multitude of things to get done like ripping up toilet paper and hiding candy and getting into any drawer or cabinet or closet door that might have been closed, just in case there was something in there that she hadn't seen before. She was a lover and didn't hate anything but baths and getting her nails clipped. She's been with me through a very large chunk of my adulthood and was there when I turned 21, when I finished college, when I moved around several times and through all the things that life brings. She has lived in more cities than most, going with me from Ann Arbor to Lansing, to Port Huron, to New York, to Detroit and back to Lansing, and she was happy no matter where she was.

She was always going full speed never afraid to do anything. I got her when she was just a few weeks old and I remember on the day I brought her home, within 5 minutes I was already worried about her. One of the first things she did was climb up my screen door all the way to the top with no apparent way to get down. If you've never seen a ferret, they have a knack for going full speed ahead and never thinking about the outcome, and I can remember her clinging to the top of that screen door looking for me to show her how to get down, not waiting for an answer and trying to figure it out herself. I got her down, but I know that if I hadn't and she would have fallen, she would have taken it like a champ.

This is the first time anything had ever died that I have been responsible for and it's killing me. I feel like it's my fault and I hate that I wasn't there when it happened. It's heart breaking. I'm worried about her sister/best friend Peach, who has no one to cuddle with at night anymore. It's amazing how much of your life your pets become, and how much you love them and worry about them and care about them and the amount of people that care about them. These two little ferrets had the love of me, my brother, my parents and my past roommates and friends. I hate losing her, but I got to spend 6 years with her and enjoy her life with her and she brought so much to my life. If everyone lived life like her, the world would be a much better place.

May she rest in peace and love.

"don't you worry, there my honey
we might not have any money
but we've got our love to pay the bills

-M, p, Z and shredder