All rat lovers should be offended!

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MumsyRat

MumsyRat

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2007
Messages
1,385
Location
Barrie, ON
At the MTO licensing office in Port Perry they have a large cage with some Degu's in it. Beside the cage is a sign that reads like this:

We are Degu's from Chile.
NOT RATS!!

My daughter saw that today while getting her sticker and was very offended. I very much agree with her. I guess if I repeated what she said it would offend Degu owners. But the bottom line is that they make it sound like being a pet rat was a bad thing and that's just plain insulting. If a person wants to do that in their home, fine. But this is a government office. I will be writing to them, under Mumsy's Rat Rescue letterhead to complain.

on-line form:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/feedback/lao.htm

Phone: 905-985-0373 or 1-800-387-3445

Snail Mail:

Ministry of Transportation
Driver and Licence Issuing Office
72 Water Street
Port Perry, ON
L9L 1J2

AND/OR:

Ministry of Transportation
Corporate Correspondence Unit
3rd Floor, Ferguson Block
77 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1Z8
 
I dunno, in all fairness if they got too many curious questions "are they rats" and maybe it took workers from their other tasks explaining? after the too many interruptions they might post a sign so the workers could get back to their jobs?
I really don't see where anyone is belittling rats there (let alone neglecting or abusing). It's like racism - there are differences between people. Black/White, Blue-eyed/Brown-eyed, Blond/Red-headed, Old/Young There's really no difference between this and people trying to go out the In-door and putting up a sign to steer them straight.

It's just a matter of what we want to make of each other. Pointing out differences is simply not pretending to be blind. It how we act or feel towards those differences.
 
Actually now that I went away and thought about it it doesn't look any better - it looks worse.
This is what turns regular people off listening to those who want to inform them about real abuse. They hear frivololous stuff like that and peg animal lovers as over-wrought freaks and don't want to listen..

MumsyRat, I have absolute respect for you but I think you've fallen off the rescue boat on this one. And you're gonna be angry at me but I think it's not good to rail about small or unneccessary battles in front of your child.
Kids do tend to go 180 degrees from their folks at puberty before they come back to accepting that a lot of what they were given they want to keep. They're gonna examine it all and if the fabric is solid and feels comfortable they'll wear it, but if its full of holes but weighs a ton they'll find the whole subject more a straight-jacket than a raincoat.
Teach your daughter, don't indoctrinate her. You can hate me now but I'm not knocking you, just warning you cause I care.

Sorry, I guess I did write and complain.
 
I think how it could have been handled is this.

Hi, We are Degus, We're from ...
Insert more information here...

I mean if they had said what they were and not added what they are not and put more information in about them I think that would be a very positive thing instead of turning a sign into a negative one.
 
I know this is not the point....but why the frick are there animals in a government office which presumably has 9-5 hours, some weekends and holidays off? Doesnt really seem like the most IDEAL place for animals to be living .... from 5pm-9am without anyone there..

maybe i dont know enough about degus maybe they dont care about people....that just doesnt set REALLY REALLY well with me....
 
We were also puzzled about the Degu's being there. It's surprising that they are there in the first place.

However, my grievance with the post next to the cage was the emphasis. The NOT RATS was written very large, very bold and underlined with !!!'s beside it. If it simply said "We are Degu's from Chile & blah, blah, blah, I'd have no issues. I hate discrimination in any form.
 
Fidget, we don't need to worry about Mumsy's daughter, she's a grown woman, living on her own now and is the one that became offended in the first place.

I bet many people were coming in and becoming afraid or disgusted with the degus thinking they were rats. :roll:
But I agree to a degree... it's not nice how it was written, it puts rats down.

And like cityratt mentioned...what the heck are they doing there in the first place? :shock:
 
In terms of them being there.. maybe they were rescued by someone in the office who can't keep them at home? If they are being properly cared for then surely that's a better situation than in a shelter.

I am in Port Perry often... maybe I'll have to pop in some time soon and complain in person.
 

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