We don't think we should be charged for not protecting our 1 month old

[98valk]

guess who they voted for?

and its three wild rats(ferrets) that they keep for pets

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/01/23/police-most-of-one-month-old-babys-face-ripped-off-by-ferret-in-darby-borough/

[Jess from VA]

Look up the subject of strict liability for injuries caused by owned animals/pets.

Look up reckless endangerment.

Ferrets seem like an animal born to be bipolar.

crap happens is not a great defense in courtrooms.

[old2soon]

Sure we own those ferrets BUT it's NOT our fault they ate our daughters face!   Then ZACKLY WHO'S fault is it if NOT your fault?   And after-I say after IF they do go to jail-they will still be allowed to breed!   Chrome plated idiots. RIDE SAFE.

[Serk]

Would ya'll feel the same way if it had been pit bulls instead of ferrets?

What about chihuahuas?

(And yeah, the crime the parents committed was leaving a 1 month old alone with ANY animal, but let's not demonize ferrets here...)

And yeah, I'm a wee bit biased when it comes to fuzzies...

[Jess from VA]

Serk, I know nothing about them, but the vids I've seen do make then look a bit on the crazy hyperactive  side (bipolar).

Of course you're right about leaving any possible danger around babies and small children.

I wonder if they were simply starving or unfed?

[art]

Not blaming the ferrets they are animals but the parents are white trash idiots. All their kids are special needs children. It's time to get someone fixed. What a horror story. Mom was upstairs with dad making more babies.

[98valk]

the latest news

The district attorney’s office says the parents have been charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/01/26/charges-filed-against-parents-of-infant-attacked-by-ferrets-in-delaware-county/

[old2soon]

Would ya'll feel the same way if it had been pit bulls instead of ferrets?

What about chihuahuas?

(And yeah, the crime the parents committed was leaving a 1 month old alone with ANY animal, but let's not demonize ferrets here...)

And yeah, I'm a wee bit biased when it comes to fuzzies...

        We are talking about the CHILDS welfare here. Could care less what animal or bird or snake inflicted the damage. Had ANY animal I've ever owned turned on any of my children or grand children bullet to the brain NOW-NOT later. The animal would NOT have gotten a 2nd chance. RIDE SAFE.

[czuch]

They arent parents. Just breeders. Suhc a shame.
We had one when I was a kid. It bit my baby brother and Dad made it soft.
Only dogs after that.  But at least we finally got a dog!

[musclehead]

Would ya'll feel the same way if it had been pit bulls instead of ferrets?

What about chihuahuas?

(And yeah, the crime the parents committed was leaving a 1 month old alone with ANY animal, but let's not demonize ferrets here...)

And yeah, I'm a wee bit biased when it comes to fuzzies...

I like ferrets, they just kind of creep me out when they go up my pant leg 

[DIGGER]

there has been several cases of ferrets eating the toes and fingers off infants in the past few yrs.   I know nothing about ferrets but they are a wild animal that has been semi tamed.  why take the chance?

[Serk]

I know nothing about ferrets but they are a wild animal that has been semi tamed. 

If you know nothing about them, let me educate you (Said sincerely, not snarkily.) The modern ferret kept as a pet was domesticated at least 2,500 years ago. They've been tamed and kept as pets for at least that long, some evidence points to domestication even further back, closer to 3500-4000 years ago.

The pet ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is not a wild animal any more than a common housecat is.

Can they harm a infant or child? Sure they can, so can a housecat or a poodle, but they're just as tame and domesticated as either of those common pets are as well...

Were the parents idiots in this case? Yup. Completely. And I'd have said the same thing if it was a cat, or a dog, or a hamster or a gerbil or anything else.

Yes, I get defensive about ferrets. They're illegal in some parts of the country still due to ignorance, and they really shouldn't be...

[BradValk48237]

ALLL Pets have the potential for flipping out..... Anytime, anywhere.  domesticated or otherwise...... I know.. have had many and worked in pet shops...... have been squirting blood from a bite from my hand raised bird of 20 years who had "never" bit anyone...LOL



Parents have to be aware and protect their kids.....

B

[DIGGER]

I know nothing about ferrets but they are a wild animal that has been semi tamed. 

If you know nothing about them, let me educate you (Said sincerely, not snarkily.) The modern ferret kept as a pet was domesticated at least 2,500 years ago. They've been tamed and kept as pets for at least that long, some evidence points to domestication even further back, closer to 3500-4000 years ago.

The pet ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is not a wild animal any more than a common housecat is.

Can they harm a infant or child? Sure they can, so can a housecat or a poodle, but they're just as tame and domesticated as either of those common pets are as well...

Were the parents idiots in this case? Yup. Completely. And I'd have said the same thing if it was a cat, or a dog, or a hamster or a gerbil or anything else.

Yes, I get defensive about ferrets. They're illegal in some parts of the country still due to ignorance, and they really shouldn't be...

won't be any at our house.....ha

[98valk]

ferret attacks on children go back to 1986.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-09-07/news/8603060734_1_ferrets-descenting-hunt-rabbits

Though no health agency requires comprehensive reporting of ferret bites, studies have documented several instances in which pet ferrets have savagely attacked children, leading to the death or maiming of babies, Kizer said.
Several cases of rabid ferrets in California have been documented, he said, and there is no rabies vaccine approved for use in ferrets.Kizer has several allies, including veterinarians and humane society officials,

Dr. Stanley Diesch, a professor of veterinary epidemiology at the University of Minnesota.Diesch documented several cases of ferrets attacking young children and doing severe damage to their faces. ``The impact of our action was to alert people that ferrets can be dangerous to infants and young children,`` Diesch said.In general, the veterinary group discourages keeping wild animals as pets, Diesch said, and the advisory on ferrets, adopted first in 1973 and reaffirmed three times since, is in keeping with that policy.

My department works with the 1,800 animal shelters across the country,`` she said. ``People get ferrets because they`re cute little things. Then they find out the ferrets bite, they chew electrical wires and do more damage to a home than a rabbit.``They are rodents and not truly domesticated.

http://www.kctv5.com/story/22495889/grain-valley-mother-in-ferret-attack-case-to-appear-in-court
Grain Valley mother sentenced after pet ferret chews off baby's fingers

http://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(98)00008-0/abstract?cc=y

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2011/01/missouri_ferret_attack_not_isolated_incident.php
A story out of Wisconsin in 2000 told a similar story when two ferrets attacked a baby, who was saved when the family dog (German Shepard Mix) jumped into the melee and rescued the infant.