# Girl sues to take pet ferret to classes **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 14, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215 "2005-10-14T13:52:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/1 "2005-10-14T13:52:56Z")
[http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3395999](http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3395999) A girl that suffers anxiety, depression and panic attacks and says she needs to take her pet ferret not just to her dorm, but also to classes to manage her disorders. She claims that the ferret senses her anxiety and ‘comforts’ her when she is anxious. She says without the animal, she is “jinxed” and has to stay in her dorm room. Ferrets are OK pets I suppose, but I think she is anthropomorphising the pet. Also, I believe they are nocturnal and she is doing the animal a disservice by attempting to carry it around all day. I don’t think this girl is ready to go away to school. And just to be cranky, I’m going to counter-claim that her ferret makes me anxious, depressed and subject to panic attacks. ---
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/2 "2005-10-14T14:05:41Z")
To paraphrase Chris Rock, remember when we could just call people \*crazy \* and be done with them? I feel for this young woman, but her coping mechanism isn’t particularly well adapted to dealing with life. It’s like having a security blanket that squeals, scratches, bites, and takes fumps. No, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/3 "2005-10-14T14:17:24Z")
> [@Stonebow](#): > > takes fumps. Is that a ferret dump? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/4 "2005-10-14T14:24:02Z")
I hope the judge laughs her out of court, and it causes her greater anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/5 "2005-10-14T14:26:56Z")
While I agree with the Chris Rock statement, some facts about ferrets: They are not nocturnal, although the polecat they are descended from is. They do, however, sleep a lot - as much as 16-18 hours a day. They’ll adopt their sleep schedule around their humans. Thousands of years of domestication will do that to ya. Ferrets are very quiet. The only time I heard a squeal from any of my ferrets was when I ran over his tail with my desk chair _(“But he wasn’t there a second ago!”)_. The only sound I hear from them are their nails skittering across the wood floor, and an occassional “dook” when they are “war dancing”. Now for reasons a ferret doesn’t belong in a classroom being carried by a student: Ferrets, when awake, are a bundle of energy. Think kittens on speed. Ferrets have very short digestive systems. They need to eat and poop often. Even well trained ferrets may nip at strangers, although nearly all (maybe even all) ferrets I’ve encountered are not skittish around humans (unlike some dogs and cats). I find it easier to give ferrets pedicures than any cat I’ve encountered. Still, their claws can grow in quite sharp, and even dull they can scratch. If she wins this case, I’ll join **Ca3799** in the countersuit. And I wuv my fuzzies. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/6 "2005-10-14T14:36:06Z")
> [@Stonebow](#): > > To paraphrase Chris Rock, remember when we could just call people \*crazy \* and be done with them? Hope it never happens to you or your loved ones. Dick. That said, she’s going to have to learn how to cope eventually. She either needs to live a lifestyle that will enable her to live with her ferret or learn how to live ferret free. Having the ferret in the dorm? Okay, sure, work around that. Taking it to classes? Screw that. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/7 "2005-10-14T14:41:13Z")
> [@Ooner](#): > > I hope the judge laughs her out of court, and it causes her greater anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. I’ve got patients like you. ---
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/8 "2005-10-14T14:52:47Z")
> [@Wolfian](#): > > Hope it never happens to you or your loved ones. Dick. How do you know it hasn’t? There’s a limit to how much accommodation society can make for the mentally ill. I’m not advocating drugging her up, locking her up, or wishing her any sort of harm- but she needs to find a better coping mechanism, for her own good. Health and safety issues exist where pets are concerned- rules like this are not simply a matter of screwing over this girl for the fun of it. If she’s seeing any sort of professional for her anxiety, I hope they can help her transfer over to something else- actually, if she’s been seeing someone, I’m surprised this hadn’t come up before the school’s ruling. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/9 "2005-10-14T14:55:37Z")
I know children’s hospitals provide stuffed animals to their patients because there have been studies done which show that just having something to hold and stroke helps alleviate anxiety. Maybe a stuffed animal might be an adequate substitute for this woman…? Anyone know a good taxidermist in San Antonio? ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/10 "2005-10-14T14:59:26Z")
Just to put some more information out there, for those who didn’t read the article: > [@](#): > > Sarah Sevick said university officials feared the ferret was a threat to other students and wasn’t trained as a service animal. > > … > > Federal officials have denied service-animal status for animals not trained for specific tasks. > > Transportation providers make a distinction for animals: Service animals have access rights under the ADA, emotional support animals do not. I doubt the university would begrudge her a service dog, and if this were an animal trained as a service animal, this case would likely have never happened. As it stands right now, she wants to take her pet to class and keep a prohibited pet in the dorms. Based on the article, I am sympathetic to her but not to her position. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/11 "2005-10-14T15:01:34Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I know children’s hospitals provide stuffed animals to their patients because there have been studies done which show that just having something to hold and stroke helps alleviate anxiety. Maybe a stuffed animal might be an adequate substitute for this woman…? > > Anyone know a good taxidermist in San Antonio? Ms Sevick’s position seems groundless, but did it really call for such a comment? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/12 "2005-10-14T15:08:50Z")
What happens when another student countersues 'cause he has ferretphobia? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/13 "2005-10-14T15:18:55Z")
This board is just getting too damn sensative. This is a bullshit case, and I hope she gets laughed out of court. She’s in college. She’s an adult, able to make her own decisions and living arrangements. > [@](#): > > Sevick requested to keep the ferret at her dormitory and in class before she moved onto campus in August, but was denied. > [@](#): > > Federal officials have denied service-animal status for animals not trained for specific tasks. So where the hell is the case? I forgive her her foibles and her psychiatric condition, but I refuse to forgive her for her bat-shit-stupid condition. She’s suing because she feels “jinxed”? Sane stupid people should not sue. Insane stupid people should not sue. Everyone inbetween on the sanity spectrum who are stupid should not sue. She’s an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/14 "2005-10-14T15:21:22Z")
> [@lno](#): > > Ms Sevick’s position seems groundless, but did it really call for such a comment? Oh, c’mon lno, you know I’m an animal lover, but I think the comment was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/15 "2005-10-14T15:23:22Z")
_Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes!_ (Sorry). ---
**Author:** ![Amok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Amok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amok)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/16 "2005-10-14T15:26:10Z")
> [@lno](#): > > Ms Sevick’s position seems groundless, but did it really call for such a comment? Yes. Yes, it did. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/17 "2005-10-14T15:26:51Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Oh, c’mon lno, you know I’m an animal lover, but I think the comment was funny. I bet you did. I bet you also thought it was “funny” when poor Hellen Keller burned her fingers on a waffle iron and her ear by answering her iron. You are one sick fuck. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/18 "2005-10-14T15:30:53Z")
> [@Long Time First Time](#): > > You are one sick fuck. Nah. I didn’t think that was funny at all. It’s when they called back and she burned the _other_ side of her face that I lost it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/19 "2005-10-14T15:31:14Z")
> [@Long Time First Time](#): > > I bet you also thought it was “funny” when poor Hellen burned… her ear by answering her iron. How did she know it was ringing? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215/20 "2005-10-14T15:31:48Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > _Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes!_ > [/SIZE] 😃 Yay righteous buttkicking! Daniel [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-sues-to-take-pet-ferret-to-classes/326215.md?page=2)