Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a New York City group founded in the 1990s[1] that conducts organized rat catching with ratting dogs. The group was named by founding member Richard Reynolds after Ryders Alley in Manhattan, which was once rat infested, and the trencher-fed pack assembled to hunt.[2][3][4] The group often hunts in Lower Manhattan locations like Theatre Alley where garbage is accessible to vermin.[5][6]
Region served | United States |
|---|---|
Official language | English |
The group responds to calls from citizens, including homeless whom they call their "intelligence network".[7] In 2017, New York City councilmember Eric Ulrich called upon the group to eradicate rats in Ozone Park, Queens and awarded them for their efforts. The dogs each received a "Vigilante Award" from the New York City Council, a dog bone, and beef jerky treats.[8][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bitsky, Leah (March 23, 2017), "Meet the fearless dogs solving NYC's rat problem", New York Post, archived from the original on November 14, 2017, retrieved December 20, 2017
- ^ Kilgannon, Corey (November 21, 2013), "In Manhattan Alleys, Dogs on Rat Hunts Find Bags of Fun", The New York Times, archived from the original on November 1, 2017, retrieved December 20, 2017
- ^ Newman, Will (December 9, 2014), Spending a Night with New York's Finest Rat-Hunting Club, Vice.com, archived from the original on October 3, 2017, retrieved October 2, 2017
- ^ Harris, Emma Patti (August 11, 2014), "The Rat Catchers of New York", The Dark Room (Photo essay), The Baltimore Sun, archived from the original on December 27, 2014, retrieved October 2, 2017
- ^ Kilgannon, Corey (December 7, 2013), "Brits can keep their foxes; New Yorkers do rat hunts", The Seattle Times, archived from the original on October 3, 2017, retrieved October 2, 2017
- ^ Moxley, Mitch (2013), The Rat Hunters of New York, Roads & Kingdoms, archived from the original on September 10, 2017, retrieved October 2, 2017
- ^ Strusiewicz, Cezary Jan; Reynolds, Richard (January 13, 2016), "6 Creepy Realities Of The (Shockingly Real) Rat Hunting Game", Cracked, archived from the original on October 3, 2017, retrieved October 2, 2017
- ^ Davenport, Emily (August 28, 2017), 'Vigilante dogs' honored in Ozone Park for literally sinking their teeth into the local rodent population, Qns.com, archived from the original on October 3, 2017, retrieved October 2, 2017
- ^ Honan, Katie (August 29, 2017), 'Vigilante' Dogs Sniff Out Rats Running Wild in Queens, DNAinfo, archived from the original on October 3, 2017
Further reading
edit- "Homeless Cats Recruited to Fight Rising Tide of Rats – There's a new sheriff in Washington D.C. alleys: adopted feral cats. But as rodent-killing machines, New York's terriers are even better.", Official website, National Geographic Society, September 29, 2017, archived from the original on September 30, 2017
- Rat Catchers of New York, CBS News, July 25, 2014
- Rat catchers of New York (Photo essay), Reuters, August 11, 2014
- "Dog owners gather in Manhattan side streets for the New York rat hunt", The Telegraph (Photo essay), United Kingdom, August 11, 2014
- "Chasse aux rats dans les rues de New-York" [Rat hunt in the streets of New York], L'Express (in French), Paris, August 14, 2014
External links
edit- Official page on Facebook
- Theater Alley hunting on YouTube, R.A.T.S. channel (2010)
- Mike Rowe describes his wild night with rat-hunting dogs in NYC on YouTube Mike Rowe on The Blaze (2016)
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. This American Life (ep. 596, 2016)