By: Hazytalk / Ballbreeder.com

Not many people are fond of rats. They are often misunderstood. Many people think of disease infested menaces. This probably stemmed from the black plague. Contrary to common belief, rats were not spreading the plague. It was the fleas that the rats carried. Ok, so maybe the rats played a little part by carrying the fleas, but believe it or not, rats are very clean animals, spending most of their lives washing and grooming.

Another misconception is that rats bite. Just about every animal bites, but rats only tend to bite when cornered or scared. I would rate rats as an excellent beginner pet. Even above rabbits, gerbils, or hamsters. Gerbils and hamsters can be fast, frightened and hard to handle, and actually are more apt to bite.

Rats are quick learners. They can learn their names, play games, and are even ticklish. When tickled, they let out a high pitched laugh that is inaudible to the human ear. That’s right, rats giggle. If you handle them every day, they will snuggle up with you, and really enjoy your attention. So don’t shoot down the idea of getting a rat.

Two of my fancy rats are Whimsy and Mimsy. They are both females (pregnant at this time). They love to play with cat toys and are great escape artists. I find them on top of their cages frequently, and I have no idea how they get out. Since I noted that they are both pregnant, anyone interested in a great pet can respond to this blog and let me know.

Last winter we still had 3 huskies. In the spring our oldest dog, Tommy – who was a mixed breed husky, died of a failed liver with complications. He was our first family dog so it was very traumatic. A couple of months later I was driving home from school with our daughter and my husband called to say Kody (our male Siberian husky) had been struck by lightning and it didn’t look good. We were only a mile from home but it felt like an eternity before we got there. I was very upset at the idea of losing another dog. The storm had been so quick. The lightning struck a tree in our yard and Kody was in the house directly under that tree. My husband heard the loud crack of the lightning hitting the tree. He ran to the back window and Kody was on his back convulsing. He dragged himself to the high grass and my husband thought he was going to die there.

By the time we reached our house Kody had walked himself over to the back door. He was having trouble getting around, but was standing. We rushed him to our vet (Chestnut Ridge Animal Hospital) who gave him a cortisone shot to shrink his blood vessels. Apparently the lung sacks filling up is the greatest risk. His eyes were red, his breath smelled of smoke, and his lungs sounded raspy as if they had been compromised. It was a very tense 24 hours. We took him back to the vet the next day and she was absolutely amazed, she said he looked almost normal and his lungs sounded much better. She didn’t know what long-term effects he could suffer from but it looked good. She gave me cortisone tablets to give him for 3 more days.

It has now been about 9 months and Kody is still with us. He sometimes seems to have neurological/muscular issues but nothing that keeps him from living life as a normal Siberian Husky. They truly are amazing!

By Christine Briel / Skaneateles Design

My husband Cary and I own Siberian Huskies. Misty (girl) and Kody (boy) are great dogs, I spend a lot of my non-work time playing around with them. They are extremely gentle, friendly and best of all very vocal. Not barking incessantly vocal – they like to howl and talk to express themselves. They are also very easy to get going

Below are a few pics of my pride and joy:

As you can see, they are pretty much glued to each other 24/7 like a true married couple

Here is Misty posing for the camera:

And is here is Kody being shy and lingering (or more accurately being stubborn):