And Now For Something Completely Different...Seriously.

Rat hunting!
For centuries, people have used dogs, ferrets, and guns to hunt everyone's favorite rodent to hate. The rat population grows where ever humans can be found en masse. In the 19th century, The Fox Terrier, nicknamed the Rat Terrier by Teddy Roosevelt became the go to dog for hunting rats, because of their innate ability to kill multiple rats quickly and efficiently...

A terrier shows off its catch after a 15 minute rat hunt in British trenches

The trench soldier of World War I had to cope with millions of rats. The omnipresent rats were attracted by the human waste of war – not simply sewage waste but also the bodies of men long forgotten who had been buried in the trenches and often reappeared after heavy rain or shelling. Some rat grew to the size of cats. It was not uncommon for rats to start gnawing on the bodies of wounded men who couldn’t defend themselves. Many troops were awakened by rats crawling across their faces. Trench conditions were ideal for rats. Empty food cans were piled in their thousands throughout No Man’s Land, heaved over the top on a daily basis.

Link
Today, rats are still hunted with dogs, as well as pellet guns and night vision. People actually pay to have rats exterminated by the latter. Now that we have a smidgen of history, why is this in the Current Events forum?

Because in New York, a place with millions of rats, some folks have decided to take matters into their own hands, and do their part to thin out the rat population which has become overwhelming. Rats are literally every where in New York...


Obviously, they aren't likely to win this war, but they and their dogs are enjoying the sport, regardless of what PETA has to say on the matter.

Cats, birds of prey and dogs are the best solution to rodent problems, unfortunately people without pets sometimes put poison down and it ends up killing the hunters. I really wish people would think.

I would worry about my dog getting some horrible disease from the rats, but I have to say he would love to go for a rat hunt. He'd probably be very good at it too.

a reply to: Klassified

looks like a nice way to get your pooch a workout. Those folks look serious.

Pet rats are such good company, I know there might be too many around but...

I can't help but feeling bad for those rats

At least in the trenches they knew how to cook their rats.
Saute or fricassee?

Or rat au van?

originally posted by: theMediator
Pet rats are such good company, I know there might be too many around but...

I can't help but feeling bad for those rats

Pet rats are one thing. Feral rats are a whole other matter. I can attest to their viciousness.

Holy crap that is a lot of rats in just 15 minutes.

That dog was amazing!

New Yorkers need to get with it! They need to organize their own version of the Red Neck Fishing Derbies out in the Midwest.

originally posted by: chiefsmom
Holy crap that is a lot of rats in just 15 minutes.

That dog was amazing!

The Rat(Terrier) actually holds the record for killing 2,501 rats in a seven hour span in an infested barn.

Link

originally posted by: theMediator
Pet rats are such good company, I know there might be too many around but...

I can't help but feeling bad for those rats

Pet rats and wild rats are two different things. It's like feral cats or feral hogs. You won't make friends out of them. They're wild critters and they'd just as soon eat you as anything else.

Our Aussie Terrier-Dachshund mix has been trained to kill any rats that hang around our duck coop. Usually we set a live trap out and let our dog take care of the rest. It gets the job done, and makes the backyard a bit safer for the ducks.

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: Klassified

looks like a nice way to get your pooch a workout. Those folks look serious.

Yeah, it looks like fun as long as the pooch keeps his nose away from that rat's incisors.

a reply to: Klassified

What the lady said in the second video posted, paraphrase "they work together, they don't go after each other."

A few years ago, I had a Aussie Collie and a Lab living in my back yard. The next-door neighbor had a pit-bull. When the dogs discovered a rat nest directly under the fence between the yards they all went at it together, digging from both sides. The result was 8 dead rats scattered between the two yards and a big hole dug under the fence.

The downside was that my neighbor had just planted tulips on her side of the fence, they were torn up and scattered too. She was not happy about that.

a reply to: Klassified



They just need a smaller version of the body armor those boar dogs are wearing. Rat incisors ... boar tusks ... what's the difference? I'd say not much of one in a fight. Might have to modify it a bit but otherwise the principle is the same.

Peanut butter and asprin work great on mice.

Up the dosage it might work on rats.

a reply to: Klassified

Thanks, brother. I probably won't sleep so well tonight.

a reply to: ketsuko

Bahahah! That looks like fun- I would throw all mine back though :-p

originally posted by: Starcrossd
a reply to: ketsuko

Bahahah! That looks like fun- I would throw all mine back though :-p

No! You can't. Those carp are a destructive invasive species that are wasting the ecosystem and crowing out the native fish, and because of that behavior you see, they can make regular boating a hazard.