Bad Rat or Bad Rap?

We bought a rat today. It’s quite interesting how these creatures have received such an unfair assessment over the years. You see it all the time in the cartoons. The rat is portrayed as an evil beast ready to spread disease to humans and kill and/or bully the cute little mouse who happens to be the hero of the story. This myth that rats are reprehensible rodents is so prevalent that it made its way into the ranks of our colloquial metaphors: I smell a rat! Dirty Rat! Etc. The fact is though that rats are not very smelly or dirty. Indeed, they are far less fetid than ferrets, and I've heard they are the least odorous of the other small pets as well (mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc). As far as their disposition goes, they are quite gentle and easy to handle. In fact, they are much less apt to bite than gerbils or hamsters, and they actually like to be held and petted. I know the pink hairless tail is a turn off for some, but it eventually grows on you. And shouldn’t the rat be allowed this one aesthetic aberration? After all, I’m acquainted with dogs (two min pins to be exact) that resemble rats, yet lack the endearing qualities of silence and sanity. Yet, nary an instance have I heard anyone say She's Crazy as a Min Pin or Shut your Min Pin mouth! I for one will take the pink hairless tail, to the cacophony those impish hounds produce on a daily basis. So can’t we let the bad press be a thing of the past for these oft misunderstood muroids? For how many more years must the medieval memoirs of the bubonic plague harangue the happy plight of the rat, I ask? Let it go already!