Spend A Night With The Rat Hunting Dogs Of NYC
REUTERS/Mike Segar
If you call the city about a rat problem, they'll give you tips on keeping them out and tell you how to find a pest control company to poison the rodents.
But there are others out there who hunt New York's vermin, and they don't do it for pay - they do it because it's in their nature (and because their owners want to let working terriers "do what they do best").
The rat hunters of New York are known as the Ryders Alley Trencher Fed Society (R.A.T.S.). They train dogs to hunt rats and will take the canines anywhere requested to, as they say, eRATicate the pests, provided the location is safe for the dogs, away from traffic, and relatively pedestrian-free.
R.A.T.S. has been around since 1995. The name combines a reference to the notoriously rat-infested Ryder Alley in Manhattan with "trencher fed," a term that refers to hunting hounds that live with their owners and go out on group hunts. The most common dog breeds used by the group are border terriers, Norfolk terriers, fox terriers and dachshunds, all historical rat catchers.
When weather allows, the rat hunters go out as often as once a week. We've compiled some photos here from one July expedition with information from Mitch Moxley of Roads and Kingdoms, who spent a night with R.A.T.S. last year.
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- "To sit and talk in the box...!" Kohli's message to critics as RCB wrecks GT in IPL Match 45
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance