My angel, Dumbo
by Taylor
(Iowa city, IA)
Yesterday my beautiful rat of 2 1/2 years passed away from heart troubles. I want to say I was shocked but I knew his health had been declining for a few weeks. Regardless, putting him down was a tough decision and I miss him terribly. He is survived by me and his cagemate, herby. Herby and I are taking the time to process his death but I would like to share the story of my sweet little angel.
I adopted dumbo two springs ago after adopting my first rat Luna, who passed away last summer. Dumbo came to us as a young rat. I remember getting to choose between a group of ratties and his giant ears and friendliness instantly attracted me. I knew he was the one I wanted. When I got home, I took him to meet his new cagemate Luna. Instantly, they hit it off as friends and did everything together.
Dumbo and I first began to bond over treats, much like any other rat. 🙂 overtime he became comfortable with me and he would lick my face and spend hours exploring his new world.
His exploration never ceased. Wherever we lived, whatever we did together, he always had the brightest eyes and was interested. He was friendly to all who met him and loved creating hiding spots around the house. Every nook and cranny was Dumbos to explore and if he wanted something he would stop at nothing to get it! I had to get door protectors to stop him from sneaking/chewing my doors and trying to pry them open. He was so intelligent–everyone always thought of him as a little dog.
As he aged, he became less active and more interested in spending time with me. We would spend our evenings snuggled up. He loved to lay on my chest or my back while I slept. My dumbo loved the sound of happy voices, sweet treats, and being with his cagemate. There was enough love for everyone in dumbos world and he gave it out to all. He would ALWAYS want to be where the action was: whenever friends came over, he was exploring them, their belongings, and just watching us interact.
His passing is very difficult for me at this time, as I know how happy dumbo was to simply be alive. But he is no longer suffering and I feel that putting him down was the right choice. I will always miss him when i am in my bed wishing to have a snuggle friend. He is gone but I know That in spirit, Luna and Dumbo are together and watching over me.
Dumbo-Herby and I will miss you. I promise to take the best care of herby as I can until she meets you in the next life. Thank you for teaching me that little critters can be full of love and for being my little friend. There is a special place in heaven for you and I know you are pain free and eating all the peanut butter and avocados you can dream of. Rest in peace and know you are loved.