Janice R.

Janice is a retired fish biologist. She started her career over 30 years ago because she liked animals as a kid – but she never got to work with any that had legs. Now that she has the time, she has taken a rehabber class, obtained a State permit, found a mentor, built a pre-release cage, made some space in her basement, and acquired a bunch of equipment like a college dorm-size fridge and cast-off microwave so she could get started. Then the squirrel orphans began to arrive and Janice fell in love with them. Her youngest squirrel orphan was about a week old, blind and nearly hairless. A dog found the baby and picked him up but his owner made the dog spit him out and he arrived at Janice's house in pretty good shape. She wrapped him in fleece, placed him in a soft lunch box and put that in an aquarium on top of a heating pad, next to an electric space heater. She was concerned that he stay warm and that he not get dried out, but the electric outlet suddenly popped and sent out a puff of smoke. Power to the room was lost. Janice thought the house was about to burn down and she realized how much better an incubator would be. In the end, the squirrel and Janice and the house survived. Sometimes, she sees him in the trees which is what this is all about.