Personal Story: The Mischief That Made Me

Disgust is a common reaction to rats. They don't really have the greatest of reputations due to a multitude of reasons. To think that I would grow up thinking they were dirty, aggressive, disease carriers that once helped wipe out a massive chunk of Europe a few hundred years ago isn't really unreasonable.

So imagine my reaction when my girlfriend told me she wanted a few as pets.

I wasn't exactly revolted at the idea, but I wasn't ecstatic either. I grew up with cats and dogs, and the occasional hamster when I was a young lad. Who could want a rat? I think it was more just the unorthodoxness (yeah that's a word I'm using) of it all that took me away from the idea more than anything else.

But then I met the two of them. Tucker and Rossie (formerly Rockwell and Burger when they were still a part of Heartland Rescue) captured my heart as soon as I met them at their little cage in my girlfriend's room. They were just as curious as I was and clearly didn't have nearly as many gripes about meeting me as I had about them.

They were far too charming and adorable to ever feel anything but love for.

Tucker would bounce to the food bowl and slept like a rock. Rossie has always been something of a grumpy old man, even in his younger days.

The two boys became as much a part of our family as any other pet ever could.

Of course, they led to me starting my own little family thanks to Rattie Tattie Rescue.

Tucker has since passed away, but he still lives on in our hearts and he brought us closer together as a family. He can never be forgotten and, without him and his brother, our lives would be missing something without us ever actually knowing.

Have you ever had a pet that, at first, you thought you'd never like, only to fall in love? Let me know in the comments.

All photo credit goes to the lovely Megan Sil