As I approached the park with my dog last week, I noticed something little and fluffy in the grass. That's a rare sight as there are no fluffy things in our park. Not with all the predatory birds (like hawks) that live there. I walked up to it and saw that is was a little rat, seemingly healthy and clean but scared to death. I can't imagine how it got there, except maybe it's owner no longer felt like having a pet rat and thought the park would be a good place to set it free. Not smart.
So I took my dog back home, dumped my recycling box and grabbed a towel. I ran back downstairs to the park (it's across the street) and my new little friend was being stalked by big black crows! He wasn't moving, he just made himself into a ball. I shooed the crows away, though they were rather reluctant to leave. I quickly threw the towel over the fluffy one, wrapped him up and took him home. All the while reassuring him that he was safe and he was loved.
I kept thinking of the quote, "When you see something that needs to be done and you think, 'Someone should really do something about that.' Remember that YOU are someone."
I know it's a risky move to take home a stray rat, but I wasn't going to leave him out there to face danger alone. I put him in the big box, got him some water and in the few minutes I had before needing to leave for work, researched what to feed him. Dog food, veggies and fruit. Check, check and check. I hated to leave him for the day, but I had to go to work.
When I came home, he still looked scared but the worst for him was over. I didn't know what to do with him but my heart said, keep him. I have the space and I have the love. So I did tons of research, called friends who have had rats as pets before and most importantly, made him an appointment to go to the vet.
He's a healthy little guy I have named Charlie. His favorite snacks are peanuts still in the shell and my dog's (vegan) dog food. He likes building hills in his cage out of the bedding. And he falls asleep when I (very badly) sing him improvised lullabies.
Charlie has become my poster child for kindness and compassion. If a little rat can be saved from a terrible situation, then anyone can.
But there's another message too. That life can change in an instant. You could be in the worst possible scenario with not a single shred of hope or salvation anywhere in sight. Then in a flash, life can scoop you up, reassure you that you are safe and give you a life better than you could have ever imagined. (Charlie is quite the spoiled rat.)
If it can happen for Charlie, it can happen for anyone.
♥∞,
~B (and Charlie.)
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