The Great Pretender!

Ya know, some people just aren't meant to have pets.  Even when you do everything right, like take them to the vet after you've purchased them at a bazaar.

Many years ago I did just that when we adopted our Louie and Marie from a couple of kids getting rid of some unwanted puppies.  The sign on their box identified them as American Eskimo and German Shepard. The vet got a good laugh out of that and when he was through we decided the most likely mix was Border Collie and Newf.  Never-the-less they were cute puppies.

Imagine, though, having your vet tell you the two $150 pups you just adopted weren't the Toy Poodles you hoped they were, but rather ferrets on steroids with fancy haircuts!

That's what happened to a retiree in Argentina recently. This poor fellow wasn't the only one who was conned either.  A lady had complained she had bought what she thought was a Chihuahua. I don't know.  Look at the neck on the ferret?  How the heck do you disguise that to make it look like a Poodle or a Chihuahua for that matter?  The length of the body?  The length of the legs?

Now I understand wanting a dog so much you might over look the lack of a pedigree.  Many will tell you mutts, rescue dogs, often make the best pets.  Having had both I can't say that's necessarily true, I've had great success with both.

One thing I can tell you for sure.  When I thought I was getting a dog, that's exactly what I got.  I cannot imagine not being suspect if some other critter was made up to look like a particular breed unless Hollywood had a go at it as they did with the Lab who played the Saint Bernard Cujo.  Out of makeup, there was no doubt.  That dog was no Saint in or out of the film.

Maybe a pet is a pet.  I see lots of ferrets in pet stores so I guess they're quite popular though not particularly long lived where a Toy Poodle can live up to 20 years.  On the other hand you can let a Ferret perch on your shoulder or ride in your pocket.  They only weigh about three pounds.

They say the Poodles are sweet, cheerful, perky and lively and love to be around people. Ferrets on the other hand sleep around 18 hours a day, are accident prone, when they need to go there is no holding it. They can exude a musky odor that is made only slightly better by keeping their bedding clean.  After all, they are related to skunks!

Who knows what the duped owners did with their "pets" but from what I've been able to find, being sold a ferret when you thought you were getting a dog really stinks!