I recently rescued two guinea pigs from the TRASH! Yes, you're eyes aren't deceiving you, I said trash.
Several weeks ago, my dog Domino and I were on our daily walk and passed by a house a few down from ours. It was heavy trash day for our neighborhood and there's was a large pile in front of this house. Domino suddenly starts barking like crazy, which isn't his usual behavior. About that time I notice a cage and something moving inside it.
So with a little apprehension that it might be a wild animal rooting through trash, I summoned up my courage and peeked in. I live in Texas and even that early in the morning it's still above 90 degrees F. Imagine my anger when I realized my neighbors had thrown their pets away! They had no food or water and were broiling in the heat, poor things!
I marched up to the door and knocked, fully intent on giving these people a piece of my mind, only to realize the house was empty! These evil people threw these little guys away and moved without even a second thought!
I immediately scooped up the cage and headed home. After a call to my brother who is a vet in Houston, I had an appointment with a vet experienced with guinea pigs in Dallas. Other than being a little overheated and dehydrated the little critters were fine! After some water, hay, and fresh veggies they perked right up, and after grilling the vet about guinea pig care, I took them home.
The next day I did some research to find a suitable habitat and supplies as the cage they were in was way too small. The kicker of all this is, Dallas has a guinea pig rescue where these people could have easily taken these animals if they were no longer able to keep them! Arrrrrgh!
The GP rescue, Texas Rustler, also has a non profit store with everything needed to properly care for guinea pigs and the people there were very helpful in getting me set up. And that's how the furry piggies came to live with Me and Domino!
While I am a total animal lover, guinea pigs are not my typical pet of choice. However, I've grown quite fond of the funny little critters! They are very vocal and fun to watch popcorning and playing together in their new home!
Thank goodness my little Domino let me know they were there!
