I love this story. Lucky was indeed lucky. My husband and I currently have three "rescue rats" -- Smudge, George, and Nibbles. He was at the pet store, saw them in the "feeder rat" cage, went all mushy over them and brought them home. They're very sweet.

Years ago we had a bunch of gerbils; one of them got a tumor on its leg and we took it to the vet for surgery. The vet was so intrigued by the idea of operating on a tiny rodent, which he'd never done before, that he did it at cost (that is, no charge for his labor). The gerbil cost $3 and the surgery was over $100, but it was worth it :)