Rat Terrier Dog Names

R.A.T.S. is an acronym for the Ryder's Alley Trencher-Fed Society. It has been together over 25 years. It's made up of average, everyday people who love their dogs. The dogs are terriers, many of them Rat Terriers, who were originally developed to hunt rats and other vermin.

Today's terriers have normally been restricted from following their natural instincts, so one benefit the group receives is letting their dogs be the type of dogs they were meant to be. Rat Terriers and other terriers are high energy dogs and need to be busy and feel productive. This is an ideal way to get the job done.

But perhaps more importantly this small band of volunteers is helping fight the rat population in New York City. A team of eight dogs hunt an average of once a week and go wherever they are needed. Many citizens call them with rat complaints and they also get hints from the city where the worst infestations are. Streets, parks, and alleys are frequent hunting grounds. 

Richard Reynolds, the founder of R.A.T.S. realizes that they certainly can't solve the whole rat problem by hunting the pests with pets. He does hope they can make a difference however.  A pair of rats can produce 2,000 babies a year if their breeding is not interrupted. If these dogs kill 10 rats then that means 20,000 less rats per year. Two hundred thousand in twenty years.

There are rat bites but members say the dogs learn quickly how to avoid getting bit. No dogs and no owners have ever become ill from contact with the rats. Safety and health are top priorities to these  hunters. “Terriers have an innate sense to do this, it’s in their genes," Reynolds said. Since New York was ranked 2nd rattiest city in the world by Orkin Pest Control, these terriers all deserve our thanks for helping reduce the problem.