Too Sad for Words

Picture this: I pull up to the house yesterday after picking up Tess from lacrosse practice yesterday and there standing in the driveway are Rustin and Olivia who are both red faced and crying.

In Olivia's hands is her new pet rat, Dumbo,

WHO IS DEAD!

 Through her sobs she tells me that while she was sitting on the couch playing with her, Nellie (who somehow got out of the room I had shut her in) ran up and snatched Dumbo right out of her hands and ran off with her in her mouth!!! Rustin heard Olivia screaming from downstairs and ran down to see what was wrong. Olivia had got Dumbo away from Nellie by then but she was barely moving and by the time I drove up, about 1 minute later, she was dead. Rustin hugged Olivia and told her he was sorry and couldn't help but cry for his little sister.

She may look like a cute and innocent dog but she is a rat killer! 

The rat did get a few bites and scratches on Nellie's nose before Olivia got her. 

Way to fight back Dumbo!

This is the second rat of Olivia's she has killed. The first time we had rats was about 4 years ago and each kid had one. We had no idea how strong Nellie's instinct to hunt and kill was but we found out only one day after we got them. She killed Olivia's named Oreo.  Olivia bought a new one but was always a little sad about Oreo. Yesterday was much worse. She had played more with Dumbo in the last 2 and 1/2 days than most rats get played with in a life time. She had put all of her sadness at losing her hamster into loving that little rat. Dumbo had such a great temperament too. She didn't bite and she was really easy to hold and snuggle. She would lick Olivia's fingers and face. We were so lucky to find such a great little rat so quickly (I had called about 5 pet stores to find a young female dumbo-rat). Olivia was SO MAD AT NELLIE- who before this was one of Olivia's best friends. She kept saying over and over that she hated Nellie. Later that night Olivia was talking about how Nellie had killed 2 of her rats and said "I think when Nellie dies she will even try to kill my rats' spirits!" I told Olivia not to worry, you can't kill a spirit. I think her heart started to soften towards Nellie when she saw the bite marks and scratches on Nellie's face.

After lots of crying and hugging I spent the rest of the day trying to distract Olivia from the tragedy and keep her happy. 

We:

Went on a bike ride

Made little pizzas

Jumped on the trampoline with Chloe

Watched American Idol

Read poems to each other

Snuggled in my bed

Sang lullabies to her

and finally, slept.

When Rustin got home from scouts that night the first thing he did was ask how Olivia was feeling.  She is not sure whether she wants to get another pet right away, or ever, because I don't think she wants to get on that emotional roller-coaster again or take the chance of Nellie killing it. But if she does, we will let you know.

Oh... the phone just rang. Guess who is not feeling well and wants to come home from school, Livvy.