Unepuce
Well-Known Member
Got a heartbreak on Friday evening.
BF and I spent the afternoon in a beautiful park that I enjoyed like mad. On our way back to the car, by the end of the trail, we saw something odd looking in the middle of the path. Turns out it was some dead animal - or so we thought. We decided to try and move it out of the way so at least it wouldn't get kicked off or ran onto by some bicycle. So I found a stick and poked it to make sure it was dead - and the tail moved. I poked it again a tiny bit harder, and that desperate, so sad face of a rodent just looked at me, saying Hey, I'm already down on the ground, you don't have to add to it. BF and I were distraught, we didn't know what to do. I decided we should try and take her to the park's information centre, so BF found an empty plastic bag he was carrying and I used it to pick the poor thing up. Turns out she was a muskrat, and that she most likely had been hit by a bike. :redhot:
We walked to the centre but of course it was closed (it was around 6 pm), so we started a round of phone calls - my vet, the veterinary school, the Sureté du Québec, we tried to reach government agencies or City of Montreal since the park belongs to them, the Ecomuseum, plus a few other places that my vet's receptionist looked up for us - no luck. We finally decided to take her to the car, where I switched the plastic bag for an old blanket I always keep in the trunk - Gosh, was I happy to have it! After a few other tries, we finally caved in and drove her to the SPCA, knowing that she would most likely get PTSed.
The poor thing was in shock - she tried to escape twice or thrice, never tried once to bite me. I was petting her head like I do my rats, and she looked so much like she understood we meant no harm and were trying to help her... driving her to the SPCA was a torture. When we got about a street away from the SPCA, she started twitching - she was clearly in pain. The spasms got more and more frequent, I was almost happy we were there and that they would put her out of her misery very soon. :cry:
RIP little girl... I only had 90 minutes with you, but you helped me see how profoundly I do care for animal life and what lengths I am willing to go to do what I feel is right. I feel privileged you let me try to help you, even if I failed to save you, for you helped me see I am a better person I thought I were - and showing me that BF really deeply shares my values, which is so very important to me.
On our way back home, BF commented on how funny it was that my karma was so closely connected to rats. I know they are not part of the rattus family per se, but they are close enough to have me agree. And I do feel this is a great karma to have.
Needless to say, I never want to go through that kind of ordeal again, so on Saturday morning I called the Ecomuseum to ask whether they had numbers to suggest in the event I have another emergency. I so wished they had been opened at the time - she gave me 2 references without a second of hesitation, which I thought I should share:
http://www.humanewildlifecontrol.com/index.php
http://ville.saint-lazare.qc.ca/urbananimaladvocates (for the Montreal area)
ETA - Here's a picture BF took while I was holding her with the plastic bag
BF and I spent the afternoon in a beautiful park that I enjoyed like mad. On our way back to the car, by the end of the trail, we saw something odd looking in the middle of the path. Turns out it was some dead animal - or so we thought. We decided to try and move it out of the way so at least it wouldn't get kicked off or ran onto by some bicycle. So I found a stick and poked it to make sure it was dead - and the tail moved. I poked it again a tiny bit harder, and that desperate, so sad face of a rodent just looked at me, saying Hey, I'm already down on the ground, you don't have to add to it. BF and I were distraught, we didn't know what to do. I decided we should try and take her to the park's information centre, so BF found an empty plastic bag he was carrying and I used it to pick the poor thing up. Turns out she was a muskrat, and that she most likely had been hit by a bike. :redhot:
We walked to the centre but of course it was closed (it was around 6 pm), so we started a round of phone calls - my vet, the veterinary school, the Sureté du Québec, we tried to reach government agencies or City of Montreal since the park belongs to them, the Ecomuseum, plus a few other places that my vet's receptionist looked up for us - no luck. We finally decided to take her to the car, where I switched the plastic bag for an old blanket I always keep in the trunk - Gosh, was I happy to have it! After a few other tries, we finally caved in and drove her to the SPCA, knowing that she would most likely get PTSed.
The poor thing was in shock - she tried to escape twice or thrice, never tried once to bite me. I was petting her head like I do my rats, and she looked so much like she understood we meant no harm and were trying to help her... driving her to the SPCA was a torture. When we got about a street away from the SPCA, she started twitching - she was clearly in pain. The spasms got more and more frequent, I was almost happy we were there and that they would put her out of her misery very soon. :cry:
RIP little girl... I only had 90 minutes with you, but you helped me see how profoundly I do care for animal life and what lengths I am willing to go to do what I feel is right. I feel privileged you let me try to help you, even if I failed to save you, for you helped me see I am a better person I thought I were - and showing me that BF really deeply shares my values, which is so very important to me.
On our way back home, BF commented on how funny it was that my karma was so closely connected to rats. I know they are not part of the rattus family per se, but they are close enough to have me agree. And I do feel this is a great karma to have.
Needless to say, I never want to go through that kind of ordeal again, so on Saturday morning I called the Ecomuseum to ask whether they had numbers to suggest in the event I have another emergency. I so wished they had been opened at the time - she gave me 2 references without a second of hesitation, which I thought I should share:
http://www.humanewildlifecontrol.com/index.php
http://ville.saint-lazare.qc.ca/urbananimaladvocates (for the Montreal area)
ETA - Here's a picture BF took while I was holding her with the plastic bag
So sad. You did the right thing for her.
