This page will report the progress we make toward reaching our goals.

The Beginning

The idea for the Rat Assistance & Teaching Society (R.A.T.S.) started in 2002. Debbie "The Rat Lady" Ducommun, founder of The Rat Fan Club, wanted to expand the goals of the club to educate not just rat owners, but the pet care professionals who funnel pet care information and attitudes to rat owners: veterinarians, pet shop staff, and animal shelters. "Rat owners are willing to search out information about rat care," said Debbie, "and are even willing to pay for this information. But pet care professionals may not have the time to search for information or be willing to pay for it. The best way to educate these people is to send information directly to them."

Because sending information to pet care professionals costs money, Debbie decided to start a new non-profit group to hopefully take advantage of grant money that might be available. Non-profit status also makes donations tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The Formative Steps The first step was to form a corporation. To choose a name for the organization, Debbie "The Rat Lady" appealed to the members of The Rat Fan Club. The name Rat Assistance & Teaching Society was finally chosen through a contest. A contest was also held to find a logo for R.A.T.S. The winning designer was RFC member Jussi Maugle of Upper Black Eddy, PA. Next Debbie approached several active Rat Fan Club members in northern California to see if they would be interested in being on the board of directors for the new non-profit. Seven members agreed and created and filed the paperwork (Articles of Incorporation and By-laws) to register R.A.T.S. as a corporation in the state of California. Next, the paperwork to file for tax-exempt status with both California and the federal government was filled out and sent in. In May 2003 we received our official tax-exempt status!

July 2, 2010 - We start a national survey of pet shops to discover their practices of selling rats and mice. June 5, 2010 - We hold our 5th Annual Rat-stravaganza in Sacramento, CA October 3, 2009 - We hold our 4th Annual Rat-stravaganza in Sacramento, CA. 13 baby rats get new homes! August 8-9, 2009 - We have a booth at the Herp World Expo in San Jose to see how many snake owners we can educate about the benefits of buying frozen rodents instead of live rodents. We find unexpected allies in the form of snake breeders! January 2009 - We share a booth with The Rat Fan Club at the World of Pets Expo in Maryland August 2008 - We buy a monthly half-page ad in Pet Business magazine, a trade magazine for pet shops June 28, 2008 - We hold our 3rd Annual Rat-stravaganza in Sacramento, CA April 11-13, 2008 - We have a booth at the America’s Family Pet Expo at the Orange County Fairgrounds in southern CA November 2-4, 2007 - We share a booth with The Rat Fan Club at the World of Pets Expo in W. Springfield, MA September 18-20, 2007 - We rent a booth at Superzoo, one of the 3 big annual trade shows for the pet industry June 23, 2007 - We hold our 2nd Annual Rat-stravaganza in Sacramento, CA February 2007 - We expand our Rat-a-tat Chat newsletter from 4 pages to 8 pages, with 4 pages in color July 22, 2006 - We hold our first Rat-stravaganza! at the Sacramento SPCA in Sacramento, CA May 30-June 2, 2006 - We rent a booth at the International Conference on Exotics for veterinarians April 2006 - We join American Humane as an Agency Member April 2, 2006 - We have a booth at the Wonderful World of Rats event sponsored by Rattie Ratz at the Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo, CA. We will continue to have a booth at this event each year it is held. April 2006 - We buy a bimonthly ad in Exotic DVM magazine, for veterinarians January 2006 - We are listed as a charity on www.missionfish.org, eBay’s opportunity for sellers to donate a portion of their sales October 2005 - We hold our first eBay Fundraising Auction (we continue to hold one every spring and every autumn) September 2005 - We buy a monthly ad in Pet Product News magazine, a trade magazine for pet shops August 2005 - We buy an ad in the program for the Conference on Homeless Animal Management and Policy in Anaheim, CA June 2005 - We buy an ad in a directory called Shelter Pages published by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) We publish the first issue of our newsletter, the Rat-a-tat Chat May 2005 - We pay to have a flyer placed in the attendee packet for the International Conference on Exotics for veterinarians January 2005 - We are listed as a charity on www.igive.com, a website that helps online companies donate money to a charity every time someone makes a purchase March 2004 - A notice about our new RATS website appears in Pet Business magazine June 2004 - We learn about 96 rats in Sacramento from several accidental litters who need homes. We hold a rat adoption at the Chico Petco and find homes for 11 rats. April 2004 - Held World Rat Day craft party February 2004 - The Phoenix volunteers held another craft booth and raised $437! January 2004 - Sent press release to pet trade magazines December 2003 - The Phoenix volunteers held another very successful craft booth at a holiday fair and sold out! October 2003 - Posted Shelter Info on website; The Phoenix, AZ volunteer group founded by Danielle Stanley held a craft and face-painting booth at a pet adoption fair. September 2003 - Redesigned brochure June 2003 - Compounding pharmacist Jennifer K. Gimon of BCP Veterinary Pharmacy in Houston, TX has agreed to insert a flyer about Debbie's Rat Health Care booklet when she sends orders to veterinarians who prescribe for pocket pets! May 2003 - Received Non-Profit Status

 
If you have any other ideas or suggestions for programs, please let us know!