Nikki was a little ferret that more or less adopted us the first winter (1992) that we spent the winter in Texas after my husband retired. The owner of the RV Park wanted to give her away; she climbed onto my shoulder from the arms of the owner and then into my husband's shirt pocket and from that time forward she was carried in our hearts. We travel quite a bit and she was our constant companion. I taught her how to kiss, roll over, chase a ball, and she just loved to explore the contents of a guest's purse. A few days before we were to leave for Texas this year Nikki became very ill. We and the vet think she must have had a stroke. So the day before we left, on December 1, 1999, we made the decision to have our beloved Nikki put to sleep so she could go live in her Heavenly home. We live about 30 miles from the vet; I carried her in my arms on the ride to the vet, and she kept giving me an occasional kiss as if to say "Mommy it's okay." I held her in my arms as she went to sleep and then all the way back home. We buried her in a metal box with her favorite bath towel and toy. It was hard to leave the next day but we have the memories, and I brought photograhs and her tiny little collar with her bell on it. We love you Nikki; you will always have a special place in our hearts.