The People Behind The Travelin' Rat
Danielle S is our President and Treasurer and a Founding Member of The Travelin' Rat. Danielle has had rats as pets since she was a teenager. She began fundraising for rat groups in 2002 as a Member-at-Large for the Rat Assistance and Teaching Society and was a founding member and Fundraiser for Any Rat Rescue in Phoenix, AZ. When she moved back to the East Coast, she met Julia, and together they began attending animal events then donating net proceeds of their sales to local rat rescues. Along with Frank, they extended their reach to rescues around the world when they made their group official and formed The Travelin' Rat.
Julia D is our Vice President and Secretary and a Founding Member of The Travelin' Rat. Julie had become interested in rats when her daughter brought her first rat home without permission in 2005. She was the classic mom who freaked out about having a rat in the house. But it wasn't long before she fell in love with these smart, sweet creatures. She has owned over 25 rats since that time and has an interest in helping rescues give rats a good life and a loving home. Who would have thought she would meet up with Danielle who had the same interest! They began attending small animal shows and raising funds, donating their profits to help rescues that took in rats.
Abby J is our MultiMedia Specialist and Director of Social Media. In a strange turn of events Abby received her first rat, Ella, as a rescue from her cousin and long time rat enthusiast. It was love at first sight! She became interested in learning more about rats and discovered The Travelin' Rat on Facebook. She answered a call for help from us in January 2013 to help with our website and has been with us ever since.
Patricia G is our RatMaster General and Director of Inventory. Patricia adopted her first pet rats from a shelter and soon found the Baltimore Rat Meetup Group, where she met Danielle and Julia. All three became good friends and Patricia gradually became more and more involved with helping to run TTR, then began making jewelry and hammocks for the group to sell. As inventory grew, Patricia procured storage space at the music school where she teaches and took over shipping (hence the "RatMaster General" title). She currently has 2 rats and does fostering for local rescues.
Samantha Z is our Social Media director. She adopted her first rats in 2014 and immediately fell in love with the adorable little creatures. She first tried to purchase rats from a breeder, but found that many of these breeders had waiting lists miles long. She then turned to her most local rat rescue, which was located an hour and a half away. This turned out to be a blessing for her, as she was taught so much about the importance of adoption and rescue. Since then, she has developed a passion for rat rescue and a deep admiration for all those who run rat rescues. She hopes to help TTR (and her local rat rescue) in many more ways for years to come.
Yana G is our Social Media Volunteer. Yana has been a fan of the Travelin Rat for many years. She quite coincidentally stumbled upon the opportunity to be our Social Media volunteer when we searched for individuals online and eagerly applied for the position. When she is not managing The Travelin Rat Pinterest board and posting on Instagram, Yana and her husband take care of their 5 energetic and friendly ratties. Their mischief inspires and humors their life on a daily basis, serving as a reminder of how wonderful it is to be loved by such intelligent, gentle creatures.
Julia D is our Vice President and Secretary and a Founding Member of The Travelin' Rat. Julie had become interested in rats when her daughter brought her first rat home without permission in 2005. She was the classic mom who freaked out about having a rat in the house. But it wasn't long before she fell in love with these smart, sweet creatures. She has owned over 25 rats since that time and has an interest in helping rescues give rats a good life and a loving home. Who would have thought she would meet up with Danielle who had the same interest! They began attending small animal shows and raising funds, donating their profits to help rescues that took in rats.
Abby J is our MultiMedia Specialist and Director of Social Media. In a strange turn of events Abby received her first rat, Ella, as a rescue from her cousin and long time rat enthusiast. It was love at first sight! She became interested in learning more about rats and discovered The Travelin' Rat on Facebook. She answered a call for help from us in January 2013 to help with our website and has been with us ever since.
Patricia G is our RatMaster General and Director of Inventory. Patricia adopted her first pet rats from a shelter and soon found the Baltimore Rat Meetup Group, where she met Danielle and Julia. All three became good friends and Patricia gradually became more and more involved with helping to run TTR, then began making jewelry and hammocks for the group to sell. As inventory grew, Patricia procured storage space at the music school where she teaches and took over shipping (hence the "RatMaster General" title). She currently has 2 rats and does fostering for local rescues.
Samantha Z is our Social Media director. She adopted her first rats in 2014 and immediately fell in love with the adorable little creatures. She first tried to purchase rats from a breeder, but found that many of these breeders had waiting lists miles long. She then turned to her most local rat rescue, which was located an hour and a half away. This turned out to be a blessing for her, as she was taught so much about the importance of adoption and rescue. Since then, she has developed a passion for rat rescue and a deep admiration for all those who run rat rescues. She hopes to help TTR (and her local rat rescue) in many more ways for years to come.
Yana G is our Social Media Volunteer. Yana has been a fan of the Travelin Rat for many years. She quite coincidentally stumbled upon the opportunity to be our Social Media volunteer when we searched for individuals online and eagerly applied for the position. When she is not managing The Travelin Rat Pinterest board and posting on Instagram, Yana and her husband take care of their 5 energetic and friendly ratties. Their mischief inspires and humors their life on a daily basis, serving as a reminder of how wonderful it is to be loved by such intelligent, gentle creatures.