“Captain, the rescue team from Tanzania has arrived. They’re unloading their gear. Where should I take them?”
Captain Dietrich Hall paused, his hand full of rubble and freezing snow held mid-air.
With every ending there is hope of a new beginning and a second chance. Today’s feature follows the story of Fern and Juniper. They were very much beloved by their previous owner, but sadly, the owner was chronically ill. With their condition worsening, they no longer felt that they could care for the girls as they deserved, so they reached out to Rattie Ratz, a rescue located in the Bay Area of Northern California who specializes in fostering and rehoming domestic pet rats.
No animal can escape aging, and sadly, some enter their golden time far too quickly. Rats are one such animal and are considered a senior by the time they are two years old. Because a rat’s life span is so short, and being a long-time rat owner myself, I have come to greatly respect the indomitable spirit of those who chose rats as their companion animal. Having to say goodbye to your beloved pets every 2-3 years can be challenging. It takes a big heart to care for an animal you know you will have to say goodbye to over and over again.
“You did well in your previous life, my friend.”
Magawa looked up into the smiling face of the King of Rats, who sat in an ancient rocking chair made of teeth-hewn cypress. As he rocked, the Rat King looked at those assembled around, he and Magawa, who thought there must have been hundreds of other rats staring at him.
As you may have guessed, KRL loves animals, and we also enjoy highlighting those who rescue them. This week we are chatting with Philly Rat Rescue.
KRL: Rescuing animals is a labor of love and total dedication. What was the catalyst for you to acquire Philly Rat Rescue and when did this happen?
As a volunteer with Rattie Ratz Rescue, a non-profit pet rat rescue located in the Bay Area of Northern California, I have witnessed first-hand the affects Covid has had on the running of a rescue. Of course, as soon as Covid became publicly known, keeping the volunteers and animals safe was the Board’s primary concern. All public events were canceled as soon as the shelter in place was ordered back in March 2020, and they will remain cancelled for some time to come.
2020 was a difficult year for many people around the world, but even during a pandemic there are animals that need saving. Rattie Ratz Rescue is incredibly grateful that during a time of great difficulty and sorrow the support for our work and our rats never ceased. We are now a year into the pandemic and Rattie Ratz was able to help many rat owners in need thanks to this unending support. Many pet owners had to move or took large financial cuts, so there were a lot of pets needing to be rehomed. Rat owners have fewer resources and for many of these people, Rattie Ratz Rescue was their last hope.
This month I’d like to introduce a beautiful love story between two rat brothers and their human mom. The goal of Rattie Ratz Rescue since its inception 22 years ago has always been – and continues to be – finding loving forever homes for domesticated rats, a very misunderstood pet. Many do not understand the attraction of having rats as pets, but for those who have experienced the captivating playfulness and amiable nature there is no other animal companion quite like a rat.
Rattie Ratz mission is to find loving forever homes for all the rats who come our way. Many of our volunteers (including myself!) enjoy our own personal ratties just like the folks who adopt from us. Since we are in the business of rescue, we often come across our future pets at unexpected times and in unexpected ways.
As a volunteer with Rattie Ratz Rescue I have come across my fair share of unique- looking rats: Russian blue, dumbo blaze, double rex albino, hairless, mink possum and even a tail-less rat! I had certainly heard of and even seen dwarf rats a few times in the past but had never had a chance to really interact with them.
