I was at a Renaissance Faire over the weekend, and spotted a number of participants who travel with their pets. I encountered a few small dogs, a cat, and a ferret — in or near the owner’s booth, enjoying the day.
Thumper the ferret was most impressive, I have to say. He first caught my eye when his owner (a maker of leather clothing, costumes, and accessories) was taking him for a walk. He loped along on his little leash and harness, following the sound of the squeaky toy in her hand.
And he isn’t her first squeaky-trained ferret. A former pet had happened on a squeaky dog toy left by a visiting pet and fell in love with the noise. Within two weeks, the family had trained the ferret to come to the sound of the squeaker — whether he was sleeping, eating, or at the far end of the yard, he would come running. It’s an organic kind of training — find the object or sound that motivates the pet, and then work with it, instead of forcing the pet to conform to our ideas of what should serve as motivator.
The owners said that Thumper the ferret brings as many people into their booth as the products do! And it was easy to see why. A well trained, outgoing, friendly, gentle pet can be a big draw for other pet lovers. And a ferret is a bit unusual — it’s not the sort of pet most people encounter every day. While I was chatting with the owners, another ferret lover came up to meet Thumper and talk about the ferrets she’d owned.
Pets are a great way to bond, aren’t they? They make it so easy to find things to talk about, no matter how shy you might be! I don’t think my dogs would be very good at something like a Renaissance Faire — Lally is a bit too skittish around strange people and strange noises, and Moose would be too much of a handful, trying to get everyone to pet him. But for some pets (and owners), it’s the perfect place to spend the weekend.