As you can see, this little rat is injured. We’re not sure how. We just know it was alive and breathing and our dog, Ripley was pawing at it through the gate when it froze in place. Its head moved only slightly as it breathed. We brought the dog inside, but the rat didn’t move for a long, long time. We finally left it alone and when I went back out, it was gone. Sometimes sitting still is your best defense.