OH No! My life (job) flashed before my eyes

So, this morning, I bring in two really nice dumbo males into work (about five weeks old) to give to a co-worker that wanted them as pets.

Dummy me has to be Super Woman and carry everything into the office in one trip - including the rats.

So the rats are in one hand, and I go to swipe my access card to get in the building, and in the same motion, manage to unlatch one half of the tub - and.......you guessed it, dumped the aspen AND the rats on the ground in front of the door.

I'm chasing rats around, grab one of them, and the other one? Um, err..... he runs into the bushes, into the THICK bushes, at 5:30 in the morning where I can't see him.

I'm like oh no, oh no, oh no!!!!! Where's a feral cat when you need them? Oh lord, if this rat comes out from under the bushes and anyone sees him, I'm toast! Everyone will know where it came from - and how am I going to explain to Sal that one of his rats has heeded the call of the wild?

I am thoroughly disgusted and images of what can go wrong continue to replay in my head. Someone's going to go out and the rat's going to run over their feet.

Well, so I go back outside and walk along the entire length of the bushes willing this rat to come out. I step back to think - and out pops a little head. I telepathically say "FREEZE!" and he steps back into the bushes, but is still in the front - I get on my hands and knees and creep up to him and POUNCE! - Got him!

He's now safely in his permanent home. Sal came to pick them up about 1/2 an hour after disaster was averted! And I still have my job! :D

Whoa! Robin I would have freaked out and cried most likely! SO glad to hear your powers of telepathy and cat like reflexes are still in their prime! :D :bow::bow:

What a way to start off a morning! :P Who needs coffee when you can be chasing rats! :D Congrats on the recovery! :gj:

AAAAHAAAA


No thats funny.

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how am I going to explain to Sal that one of his rats has heeded the call of the wild?

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Nothing wrong with that at all. :D

Hehehehehehehe....Robin you need to change your title from Steel Magnolia to The Rat Whisperer! :D

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Hehehehehehehe....Robin you need to change your title from Steel Magnolia to The Rat Whisperer! :D

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Oh I love that "The Rat Whisperer"

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Hehehehehehehe....Robin you need to change your title from Steel Magnolia to The Rat Whisperer! :D

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It's funny you say that - the staff at PetSmart calls me the Rat Whisperer whenever I come in! LOL

glad everything turned out well, but if you weren't fully awake at 5:30 in the morning, chasing a rat in the shrubbery will do it. :giggle:

that's too funny lol need a locking cage for transport

Wheew!!

I've had close calls like that before... It is the most adrenaline pumping thing I have had to do in some cases..

Rollercoaster? HAH!

Chase a Rat around your friends house!!!

lol great story!!!

glad you got him. :)

Justin

:rofl: That's too funny. (because you didn't get fired AND you found both of the ratties) :giggle:

so what would you of said if someone saw you on all fours looking under the bushes...:D thats funny, but im glad you got them both back...

Yeah, rat lost in bushes outside place of employment and rat lost in friend's house definitely rat lost in garage...makes mine so unglamorous...

Glad you nabbed the bugger!

Sound like a fun adventure :D.

Hehe funny story Robin :)

Glad you found him and avoided disaster!

Thats pretty funny, glad you were able to find him and still have your job:gj: I hate the access card i have the same thing at my work :rage:

HAHAHA!!!! I'm sure that freaked you out! :8:

Glad you recovered him.... with the "rat Pounce"!!!! :D

That is so funny! I can't believe you managed to get them both back. LUCKY!

I'm glad you got him back where he belongs! I have nightmares about my rats somehow getting outside and I can't catch them. :(

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Originally Posted by McAdry

that's too funny lol need a locking cage for transport

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Mike (McAdry) forgets the time we had a dang live feeder mouse loose in our stationwagon! It completely amused the kids to see the both of us upside down in the car trying to get the damn thing from under the passenger seat. :rofl:

OK - the shock is now wearing off - I swear I had daymares all day about this morning and what could have happened if I'd not been able to catch the bugger before anyone saw!

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Whoa! Robin I would have freaked out and cried most likely! SO glad to hear your powers of telepathy and cat like reflexes are still in their prime! :D :bow::bow:

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Believe me Connie - I wanted to cry when the tip of the tail disappeared under the bushes - standing there with his brother in one hand and a look of shock on my face.

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Originally Posted by Jerhart

What a way to start off a morning! :P Who needs coffee when you can be chasing rats! :D Congrats on the recovery! :gj:

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Would you believe I balanced a cup of coffee and caught the bugger with the other hand? LOL

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

AAAAHAAAA


No thats funny.



Nothing wrong with that at all. :D

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Yeah - funny says you! :P

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Originally Posted by Ladydragon

glad everything turned out well, but if you weren't fully awake at 5:30 in the morning, chasing a rat in the shrubbery will do it. :giggle:

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Yup - it sure will!

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Originally Posted by McAdry

that's too funny lol need a locking cage for transport

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Mike it WAS a locking lid Sterilite - I caught one of the locks on the door and the rest was history!

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

Wheew!!

I've had close calls like that before... It is the most adrenaline pumping thing I have had to do in some cases..

Rollercoaster? HAH!

Chase a Rat around your friends house!!!

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Hahaha - I've done that too (well, my own house, but still!)

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Originally Posted by jkobylka

lol great story!!!

glad you got him. :)

Justin

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Me too, Justin, me too!

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

:rofl: That's too funny. (because you didn't get fired AND you found both of the ratties) :giggle:

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I didn't know HOW I was going to explain this to my boss. Our VP is really cool about pets, but you know rats aren't really accepted by a lot of people. He lets people bring their dogs in with them if they have to take them to the vet later - just as long as people don't abuse the privilidge - one reason Sal and I had planned an early morning exchange before others got to work! LOL

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Originally Posted by Broseph

so what would you of said if someone saw you on all fours looking under the bushes...:D thats funny, but im glad you got them both back...

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No CLUE! Maybe "hi!" At one point I was laying flat on my stomach on the sidewalk lifting up the edges of the bushes trying to see him (no flashlight though)

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Originally Posted by cassandra

Yeah, rat lost in bushes outside place of employment and rat lost in friend's house definitely rat lost in garage...makes mine so unglamorous...

Glad you nabbed the bugger!

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Thanks Cass!

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Sound like a fun adventure :D.

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Yeah, all I thought about was how hard it was to catch loose rats in a closed room at NERD, I just KNEW I was toast!

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

Hehe funny story Robin :)

Glad you found him and avoided disaster!

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Me too Rich!

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Originally Posted by Drew87

Thats pretty funny, glad you were able to find him and still have your job:gj: I hate the access card i have the same thing at my work :rage:

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I've had access cards at my last few jobs - I do like that when I come in, in the mornings (I work 6-4) that the only people who can get in are those with badges.

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Originally Posted by Laooda

HAHAHA!!!! I'm sure that freaked you out! :8:

Glad you recovered him.... with the "rat Pounce"!!!! :D

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It was totally not graceful! LOL

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Originally Posted by marmie

That is so funny! I can't believe you managed to get them both back. LUCKY!

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Thanks Marmie - I'm so glad I got them both too!

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Originally Posted by mlededee

I'm glad you got him back where he belongs! I have nightmares about my rats somehow getting outside and I can't catch them. :(

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I think I'll have nightmares about this for months to come - all because I didn't want to drive 20 miles to meet him on a Saturday! LOL

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Mike (McAdry) forgets the time we had a dang live feeder mouse loose in our stationwagon! It completely amused the kids to see the both of us upside down in the car trying to get the damn thing from under the passenger seat. :rofl:

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Hahahaha! That's funny!

I'm glad you recovered them ok - and at 5:30 am no less! Way too much excitement for that time of the morning!

I can just see the security camera being watched and the guy watching it going " The employer stalks her prey... she watching closely, when her stealth... she sees the rats head... wait for it... SHE POUNCES! She captures the rat and drags it back to her young." :D

Wait so...this happened outside...the rat ran into some bushes....if you hadn't caught him, I still don't understand why you would lose your job?:confused:

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Originally Posted by Pwilliams58

Wait so...this happened outside...the rat ran into some bushes....if you hadn't caught him, I still don't understand why you would lose your job?:confused:

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In the bushes by the front door. If I hadn't caught him, and he came out and ran in front of say, a customer of ours - not good. I would be questioned why I was bringing rats to work. It's not like he's a wild looking rat, he's clearly a domesticated rat. If he ran in front of MANY of my co-workers who are creeped out by rats, not good.

Just a happy update. I spoke with Sal this morning, and he was beaming - he said his kids LOVED the rats and how quickly the rats got used to them. All their friends are jealous and want their own pet rats now!

He said his daughter was scared of them at first (because her hamsters always bite her) but when she saw how gentle they were, she couldn't stop carrying hers around. They carried them in their shirt pockets and on their shoulders and are head over heels in love with their new baby boy dumbos! :D

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

I can just see the security camera being watched and the guy watching it going " The employer stalks her prey... she watching closely, when her stealth... she sees the rats head... wait for it... SHE POUNCES! She captures the rat and drags it back to her young." :D

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:8::rofl: Omg now that's FUNNY!

Great story! Glad you were able to catch both of them. And it sounds like their new owners are absolutely smitten. Who wouldn't be?