We had the good fortune of connecting with Eva Cross and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eva, what principle do you value most?
Compassion and kindness.

Many of the rats who come through our care have gone through a great deal of stress and sometimes trauma that can influence their behavior and sociability with people. We use gentle kindness and positive reinforcement training to help these scared/stressed/shy animals develop trust with people and restore their sense of safety.

Kindness and compassion is not only for the animals who end up in our care, but also for the families who surrender them, the shelters we transfer from, and our laboratory partners. It is so important to meet people where they are, and empathize with their unique situations. A lot of hoarding cases stem from mental health issues, and harsh judgment isn’t going to help the animals or the person get the resources they need. Most of the time when someone surrenders their pet, it is the hardest decision they have ever made, and they are doing so in the hopes of helping their beloved pet find a healthier situation for any number of reasons. Showing a little kindness helps build a community of respect, trust, and empathy.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We are a rat specific foster-based rescue that takes in over 100 homeless rats in need every year and adopt out them into loving pet homes. Rat rescues are few and far between, though the need increases every year as rats become increasingly popular pets. We are proud to be able to serve our community by helping keep rats out of shelters and being a resource for laboratories, which is our very favorite thing to do!

We initially got started to be a resource for laboratories needing to offload rats. At first, it was difficult to “sell” ourselves to labs, so we made sure to get our 501(c)(3) determination quickly to further legitimize our operation. We quickly found that there was a massive need throughout the state and across the country for rat rescue, and began collaborating with shelters all over the state (and some out of state as well). We have enough connections with shelters now that we stay full almost all the time, but when we are able to assist with owner surrenders we try to do that as well.

There are infinite challenges in the field of animal sheltering, and that is no different for rat rescue than any other species. In some ways, it is more challenging because there is a smaller pool of people looking to adopt rats and support rat rescue. Fundraising to support our needs, finding adopters for hundreds of animals each year, and ensuring that each animal gets the veterinary attention and behavioral support they need have all been a great balancing act. Early on, our biggest challenge was determining what our limits really were. Learning your limits can be really difficult, and the only way we really knew how was by trial and error. Once we figured out the best way to operate and how many animals we could realistically provide excellent care for – and we stayed within those limits – it became easier. Getting started can be so hard! You don’t always know what you are capable until you jump in and start clearing the weeds.

Everything in my life felt like it was leading up to this. Did I ever think that running a rat rescue was a possibility, or even something that would be so supported by the community? Not at all. I had the animal sheltering experience, I had some experience in the veterinary field, I had connections, I had the non-profit background, I had the knowledge and expertise in rats having tailored my higher education to focus on them, and once I completed my Master’s degree I thought “well, what’s stopping me? Why NOT try and see what happens?” It has been the greatest privilege and honor of my life to be able to provide this service to the community, and to help the animals who so often go under-appreciated, misunderstood, stigmatized, and villainized, who so desperately need our help. Since our inception in 2019, we have rescued over 460 rats from laboratories, shelters, hoarding cases, abusive homes, abandonment, domestic violence situations, and loving families trying to do the best for their pets. I am so proud of what we have already been able to accomplish, and am excited about the direction we are going!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am vegan and a big foodie, so it would likely involve a lot of restaurant-hopping! The Devil’s Lettuce, 821 Cafe, Sticky Rice, Minglewood Bake Shop, and Harrison Street Cafe are my go-to’s for best vegan options around Richmond.

We would have to take a trip to Carytown to do some shopping at one-of-a-kind stores, grab a cupcake at Carytown Cupcakes, and maybe see a showing of Labyrinth at the Byrd theater. Visiting the James River is also a must, weather permitting, and Pocahontas State Park has become a favorite place for hiking!

Richmond is a beautiful city with lots of gorgeous murals, especially down at the canal walk.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow, there are so many people who have helped Second Chance Heroes in so many ways!

– My family, for NOT thinking I was a crazy person when I said I wanted to open a rat rescue in my home, and for believing in me every step of the way.

– Vicki Schutz was instrumental in getting us started and helping us create a network of people who were excited to have a rat rescue in the community.

– Nickie Engle, who volunteers her time and talents to sew all of our cage liners and comfy cage accessories! She has been a total game changer for our operations!

– Paige Rideout of Rat Haven, for being such a knowledgeable soundboard, for taking in several of our difficult-to-place rats, and for all that she does for the rats in Virginia.

– Michelle Russell for getting us through the hard days of animal rescue, and always stepping up to help however is needed.

– My brother, Colin, for helping me in all aspects of life and starting a business.

– And of course our laboratory partners, for taking a chance on us!

Website: www.secondchanceheroes.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/secondchancerats

Other: Folks can support us by becoming a member of The Rat Pack! https://secondchanceheroes.mykajabi.com/sch-rat-pack-sign-up

Image Credits
(all photos taken by me)

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