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Old June 8th, 2007, 02:40 PM
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Angry I'm so mad!!

I was working at the shelter this morning, when animal control got a call from the police that some idiot had released a bunch of white rats at the high school (it is their last day of school). The people at the school had somehow rounded up all the animals they could find. There were 2 brand new black duffel bags that they believed someone used to carry them into the school, so they put the animals back in those. Animal Control picked up the bags and brought them into the shelter. I went to look, and she said "Oh it's rats and baby rats" and she unzipped the bag a little so I could see. I said "No that is rats and mice mixed together!" There were 15 mice and about 12 rats. I have a severe phobia of mice and a lesser fear of rats, so I could not be of much help through this! I looked at the rats because if I make myself, I can touch them, I can't do a thing about my mouse fear. The rats were all soaked in urine, they stunk so bad, and some $^*)(&%&#$^ kid had painted "'07" on their backs! The other shelter workers are more afraid of rats than mice, so I touched one of the rats to see if they were able to be handled--and they were friendly!!! Obviously hand raised. We couldn't leave them in the duffel bags because they would suffocate, and we had to separate the rats from the mice. One of the mice was already dead, probably trampled by the rats. :sad: The mice I found a birdcage for, they kept trying to climb to the top of the cage, we had to cover it with a towel we were afraid they could get out. (You should have seen us moving them. I was standing in the doorway telling the other 2 women how to pick up the mice. Everytime a mouse moves, all of us shriek! ) Then we had to move the rats. At first we had them in a small plastic carrier that was actually a reptile carrier or something. But it was so small and they couldn't move and it got filthy so fast. So I found the dog crate with the smallest spaces between the wires, and they started to transfer them. Only the rats found one little gap at the back corner of the cage and they started to escape! So people are chasing the rats around the office, I am trying to tape cardboard over the gap in the cage because more are getting out every second. One rat found an old hole in the wall caused by wild rats (several years ago we had a rat problem) and he went through the hole into the kennel before we could stop him! :sad: We haven't been able to find him. We have a little have-a-hart trap we will set tonight in hopes that we can catch him. We started frantically calling the larger shelters that have facilities for rats and mice, we were so afraid more would escape. Finally the MSPCA said they would take them, but they can't guarantee they will all get adopted, they said females are especially hard to adopt because a lot of times they are pregnant and no one wants a pregnant rat.

We haven't been able to find out who did it. At first we thought it was a kid in the high school doing a "senior prank". But then someone said they had seen 2 kids with black duffel bags asking for directions to the high school, so now we think maybe they were kids from a rival school. But I cannot imagine someone taking animals and dumping them somewhere where they could very well have gotten hurt or killed and painting them!!!!!
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Old June 8th, 2007, 03:08 PM
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If they are caught, they should be sentenced to work in a shelter, so they can see first hand the misery that animals have to endure at the hands of thoughtless people!
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Old June 8th, 2007, 05:33 PM
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More hormones than brains apparently. I'm surprized in this day and age of uber-security two unidentified, non-students were allowed to wander freely through the halls a school with black duffel bags.
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Old June 8th, 2007, 06:43 PM
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I'm surprized in this day and age of uber-security two unidentified, non-students were allowed to wander freely through the halls a school with black duffel bags.
You know, I bet the school doesn't even lock its doors because we are a "safe" town!

I was just fed up, this week was just a bad week. 1 dig and 1 kitten euthanised, numerous idiots we had to deal with, including one family that lets their 9 year old son walk their young intact male pitbull and puts a *shock collar* on the dog so the kid can "zap it" if it doesn't listen to them...which we can't do a damn thing about because that is approved by their trainer....people lying to us about their dog's ages/health problems when they turn them in....and then these high school jerks dumping live animals into an auditorium, that was just the last straw. Especially since I lost an hour trying to get the ratties and mice housed and find a place to take them, so that when we officially opened to the public I hadn't even finished cleaning the kennels. It was just too much. Frustrated.
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Old June 8th, 2007, 07:05 PM
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Ahhhh but it's Friday now....
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  #6  
Old June 8th, 2007, 07:38 PM
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SableCollie SableCollie is offline
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Yes, yes, TGIF. Two whole days of respite!
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Old June 8th, 2007, 08:03 PM
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Sorry for your bad week, I know I couldn't deal with these people 5 days a week.
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Old June 8th, 2007, 09:32 PM
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SableCollie SableCollie is offline
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I think we should switch--weekends should be 5 days and work days should be only 2 days!

Frenchy, I can't deal with these people 5 days a week, that is why I have to come here to rant! Then I feel better.
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  #9  
Old June 8th, 2007, 09:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SableCollie View Post
Frenchy, I can't deal with these people 5 days a week, that is why I have to come here to rant! Then I feel better.
That's what I do too ! Altough I just volunteer, I come here to laugh and have a good time. Not necesseraly to talk about rescue, you know ?
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Old June 9th, 2007, 02:02 AM
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Sorry you had such a bad week .
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Old June 9th, 2007, 11:54 AM
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SableCollie SableCollie is offline
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Sorry you had such a bad week
It actually wasn't any worse than usual. I was just tired and fed up and grumpy.

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I come here to laugh and have a good time.
I try to read most posts here if I have time, and look at all the photos. It certainly puts me in a better mood (except for the few posts which remind me of the irresponsibility of some pet owners, luckily those are usually in the minority).

We haven't caught the rat we lost yet, I'm sure it will probably run up to me when I am cleaning the kennels and give me a heart attack.
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Old June 9th, 2007, 06:27 PM
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Hope yopu're enjoying your weekend, SableCollie.

And, in case you still need a hug from last week.....

Good luck finding the rat.
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  #13  
Old June 9th, 2007, 09:14 PM
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Oh Sable, that is awful and kind of funny in a horrible kind of way!!!! I hate mice too. But it still doesn't mean they deserve to be treated that way. Sick. Can't believe someone spray painted them. :sad: Although I have to admit, I was chuckling a bit about the screaming part, just because I've been there. We've had a mouse problem lately at our office and we've had several little startled screaming incidents so far.
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Old June 10th, 2007, 08:23 PM
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No rattie so far. I'm sure s/he will show up when I am least expecting it. Now the whole time I'm scrubbing kennels, I'm going to be very nervous and jumpy waiting for it to run out at me!

Quote:
I hate mice too.
Yeah. I really do too. We had a real problem in my house a few months back, where a pair of white-footed mice moved into my house, got married, and had babies. Unfortunately the babies grew up unafraid of humans, and one day when I was sitting on the couch one climbed onto me. That was about 6 months ago, and I haven't been able to sit on the couch since. I was trying to learn french around that time and basically the only thing I learned was Je n'aime pas les souris!

Quote:
But it still doesn't mean they deserve to be treated that way.
Yup, that's how I feel, so I saved these little squeakers' necks. The first spca we contacted couldn't take them in but offered to euthanise them for us. The decision was left up to me, but I certainly don't want to kill any animals, even if I don't like them, so I said nope, we'll keep trying to find a place that will at least give them a chance. I hope the mice appreciate that!
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Old June 11th, 2007, 06:06 PM
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Well someone saw the loose rattie today, alive and well! She was putting laundry into the wash, reached into the hamper and there there he was! She screamed, the rat ran, and by the time she recovered, he was in the wall again. Apparently he looked clean and well fed though, so he's doing okay for himself. I'm just worried he'll wander into one of the dog's cages, we have a kennel full of terriers right now. Hopefully he will go into the have-a-hart soon.
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  #16  
Old June 11th, 2007, 08:20 PM
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Originally Posted by SableCollie View Post
She was putting laundry into the wash, reached into the hamper and there there he was! She screamed,
I would have had an epileptic seizure !!!!
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  #17  
Old June 11th, 2007, 08:30 PM
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As thoughtless as the prank was... I was laughing when I read about you trying to sepatate the rats and mice and them getting out. I could just picture a bunch of ladies holding small cages and standing on top of chairs, screaming (rats and mice do not bother me in the least, but that is what happens when you grow up on a farm with 4 older brothers )

I do hope they could catch whoever did it, although I doubt they can :sad:
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  #18  
Old June 11th, 2007, 09:36 PM
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I was laughing when I read about you trying to sepatate the rats and mice and them getting out.
As it was happening, I was thinking I am so glad no one is filming this! I could just imagine if someone had filmed us and posted the video online. We certainly did not look very professional!! But then we usually just have to deal with dogs and cats (and bunnies and guinea pigs and chickens...but not rats!)

I'm now afraid to do the laundry, in case Mr. Rat is lurking around the hamper still!
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