Salty Rat is Famouse

Apparently I decided that 5 am this morning would be a good time to decide what 2011 calendar to buy. As I browsed through the options with bleary eyes, I came upon Brown Trout‘s rat calendar. I checked out the back cover, and was clearly not awake enough to comprehend what I saw. My own Mr. Salty Rat was pictured sitting on a piece of red wrapping paper (I am assuming he is Mr. December). At first, I thought someone had taken a nearly identical picture, but quickly realized it was indeed my own Salty. It goes without saying that he was the handsomest rat on the calendar.

I would have missed Salty Rat’s calendar debut had I been able to get the calendar I intended to get. Lately I’ve been buying the pit bull puppies calendar, because the calendars with the adult pit bulls depict some dogs with cropped ears, which I can’t stand. But for 2011, even a couple of the dogs on the puppy calendar have cropped ears. I can’t stand to look at those pictures, so I pass on those calendars altogether. So this year, I came back to the rat calendar and got a surprise.

I suppose you are wondering why we didn’t know that Salty would be appearing in a calendar this year, but there’s a good reason. Stephen licensed the image through Alamy. Alamy doesn’t tell the photographers who is buying the pictures – the price for the photo is based on the size the client needs. So when Stephen licensed the photo many months ago, he didn’t think any more about it. I’m so glad I happened across it.

And yes, I know how to spell famous, but I love a bad pun!