NEW YORK—In the last two years, the city’s complaint hotline has received a record of more than 48,000 calls reporting rat sightings. But fear not—a diverse group of New Yorkers has found a natural way to combat the disease-laden rodents. Instead of rat poison, they let loose a pack of furry terriers into New York City alleyways.
A terrier smells a rat and leaps into a heap of garbage. A second terrier runs and dives in too. A rat scrambles out. A third terrier catches the rat and bites. The rat’s limp body falls to the ground. The dog owner picks up the dead rat with gloves and drops it into a garbage can.
This appears to be a natural solution since rat-hunting is what terriers do best.
Mr. Dudley, a terrier with the The Ryder's Alley Trencher-fed Society, which specializes in catching rats. Courtesy of William Reyna
