dksuddeth

I'm sitting here at 3:30 in the morning. Haven't really slept for 26 hours. I've had to watch 4 little animals I loved dearly gasp for their last breaths in my very hands.

My wife and I run a rat rescue called 'Pocket Angels Rattie Rescue'. If anyone has ever done research on how domestic rats are treated, you'll understand why we started it. These little creatures are so very smart and lovable. It seems like most all they want to do is give and receive affection.

We had 30 of them in our rescue area. We accepted two new surrenders on sunday and then we made a huge mistake. In our fatigued state from a long holiday and knowing the two people who brought us the surrenders, we broke quarantine and allowed our friends in to the rescue area to see our rattie residents. Nobody knew it, but our friends brought a virus with them and infected our entire colony.

It's depressing to watch these poor little animals look up at you for help as they struggle to breathe and there's nothing you can do but pet them and hope that makes them feel a little better.

I have to dig at least 4 graves in the morning and it's possible it might be 6. It could even go as high as 12 by the weekend.

I think the thing that hurts the worst is the first two ratties to die were our favorites.

I probably should have made this a journal entry, but i've not looked in to starting one and don't have the ambition to do so now.

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"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."