Tonight's photo was taken in January of 2009. I know exactly where we were and why! That day, Mattie endured a VERY long bone scan. A scan that he had to do awake, and not sedated. The deal we made with Mattie was if he complied with the scan tech and sat still for the two hour long procedure, then we would all go out to lunch on the hospital's campus. There was a restaurant on campus that prepared Japanese food on a grill right in front of you. That whole process intrigued Mattie and believe it or not he loved cooked shrimp. This photo was taken at his special lunch, which included his art therapists and child life specialist.
Quote of the day: One need not be a chamber to be haunted. ~ Emily Dickinson
I think Emily Dickinson's quote seems quite appropriate for Washington, DC. Why? Because the city is infested with rats. It's like a horror movie. It's rather ghoulish really. For us, seeing rats is a daily occurrence. There isn't a rat free day for us, and there hasn't been one for at least two years. Each time we walk Sunny, regardless of the season or time of day.... you see rats. Naturally I try to avoid them at all costs, but I am quite sure it's either Sunny's disposition or training that leads him directly to them. He has a strong prey drive for anything that scurries, with a heavy focus on rats and squirrels. So much so, that I really do not like walking Sunny after sun down.
I love to go out for walks as does Sunny. But we get different things from our walks! Sunny is all about the sniffing, hunting, and chasing. See this trash can.... it is a typical DC occurrence where rats chew big holes right through the plastic. 
Mind you it is damp, rainy, and cold out. But that doesn't stop the rats. When I first got Sunny, we were out walking and I happened to meet a man by the Potomac River who shared the story about his dog's death. I think he was so traumatized by it and felt guilty that he had to share the story with me. To prevent this from happening to someone else. His dog contracted Leptospirosis. Which is a bacterial infection that dogs can pick up from the urine of rats. He scared me so much that I talked to my vet about this and encouraged her to give Sunny a vaccination for this disease. Leptospirosis, if not caught early, kills dogs. Unfortunately this vaccine is not a standard of care, so unless someone told me about it, I wouldn't have known the risk. Well not as a new dog owner. I am thrilled Sunny gets vaccinated each year because with his proclivity for rats, he would be a sure target to get ill.
Check out this video....Rat Problem out of Control in Dupont Circle:
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/208277201-video
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