Hi, I’m Winny Schnitzler!
There are holy rats who live in an Indian temple and are revered. There are lab rats who save our lives. (I had breast cancer, and the drugs which were developed by giving cancer genes to rats, saved my life.) There are pet rats who love their humans. There are wild rats who I keep out of my house.
There are two species of common rats, the ones who kind of look like hamsters and the ones who look kind of scary until you really look at them carefully and notice that they are actually cute. However, another species, which is very big, are known as Hero Rats. They detect live mines and tuberculosis in third world countries. They save thousands of human lives. I adopted one in Vietnam last year. I gave money for her care.
I volunteered at American Cancer Society for 16 years, in order to help raise funds for cancer research. That means I helped purchase lab animals. I am grateful to them, sad for them, and feel guilty.
In 2003, before my cancer bout and before my work with the cancer society, I fell in love with two beautiful female rats who became my pets. They can learn their names and respond to us when we call them. They are adorable and sweet, unless they have been mistreated and/or ill.
Since 2013, I’ve been a director at an animal shelter called Best Friend Rodent Rescue. We have a lot of abandoned animals who either were pets or were used as psychological experiments at a local university. I adopt the needy ones, so I get bit once in a while, but I also have ones who grow to trust and love me. I currently have 3 sweet critters. Please consider adopting pet rats at http://bfrr.org
