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City needs good dogs to handle rat epidemic The Chicago Way
Chicago Tribune ^ | 11/10/2017 | John Kass

Posted on 11/15/2017 8:01:59 AM PST by simpson96

Chicago is said to be the rat capital of America. The city is expected to break last year’s record for the number of rat complaints.

“Walking to the subway after work, I looked down and there was a rat walking alongside me,” said a trained journalist not given to exaggeration. “It was gigantic, like a small dog or a fat squirrel. It just walked along without fear.”

But don’t worry, Chicago. I’ve got a guy. And I hope Mayor Rahm Emanuel is listening.

Jordan Reed, the legendary American rat catcher, is known far and wide in the rat-hunting community for the pack of terrier dogs he calls his “mongrol hoard.”

He’s on an upcoming episode of “The Chicago Way” podcast on WGN Radio that I co-host with Jeff Carlin. And he’s talking rat dogs.

“It kind of sounds to me like you guys should start a club — or someone should start a club — a rat-catching club, to share information and to see if your dog has what it takes,” Reed said.

Reed then listed the best rat-hunting breeds and described how to train a rat dog.

What’s ironic is that in the neighborhoods overwhelmed by rats, there are perhaps thousands of pet terriers that never are allowed to reach their true dog potential.

“If you never allow a terrier to have some risk, it probably has never once gotten to be a terrier, and that’s sad,” Reed said. “When you have a dog that was bred to work in pitch blackness, underground, you’re basically dealing with a fearless animal. And really tough ones. Ones that can take a lot of punishment without quitting.”


(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Health/Medicine; Humor; Local News; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: chicago; dogs; emanuel; illinois; obamalegacy; rahmemanuel; rats; vermin
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1 posted on 11/15/2017 8:01:59 AM PST by simpson96
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To: simpson96
Chicago is said to be the rat capital of America.

Agreed. Way too many Democrats in Chicago.

2 posted on 11/15/2017 8:06:11 AM PST by Obadiah
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To: Obadiah

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves.


3 posted on 11/15/2017 8:06:57 AM PST by Pilgrim's Progress (http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/BYTOPICS/tabid/335/Default.aspx D)
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To: simpson96
Chicago is said to be the rat capital of America.

Finally, honest journalism.

4 posted on 11/15/2017 8:06:57 AM PST by gubamyster
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To: simpson96

They bring a rat, you bring a dog. It’s the Chicago way.


5 posted on 11/15/2017 8:08:10 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (Benedict McCain is the worst traitor ever to wear the uniform of the US military.)
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To: Obadiah

Never mind Chicago.....release those dogs into Washington. That’ll put them to the test....the rats there are BIG and very well entrenched.


6 posted on 11/15/2017 8:09:10 AM PST by JudyinCanada
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To: simpson96

Is this article really about rats or is this innuendo and inference? It’s hard to tell with Chicago.


7 posted on 11/15/2017 8:09:17 AM PST by Tenacious 1 (You couldn't pay me enough to be famous for being stupid!)
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To: ClearCase_guy

LOLOL!


8 posted on 11/15/2017 8:09:46 AM PST by Salamander (And Yet, Ezekiel Smiles...)
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To: simpson96
...said a trained journalist not given to exaggeration...

They have to qualify journalists these days. LMAO!!!!

9 posted on 11/15/2017 8:10:25 AM PST by Tenacious 1 (You couldn't pay me enough to be famous for being stupid!)
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To: simpson96

Back to the future!

Yorkshire Terriers were originally bred to be rat killers because their small size would allow them to chase the rats into almost every safe haven that humans could not even think about.

We have an AKC male that has shown this trait since the day we received him. He loves his little plush squeekie toys that are about the size of a small rat to an obsession. When playing with him, we throw it and he pounces on it and finds a particular portion to latch his teeth onto and then whip shakes the heck out of it while growling at the same time. We are told this was the way they broke the necks of their prey.


10 posted on 11/15/2017 8:14:45 AM PST by mazda77
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To: simpson96

I wonder if they put out photos of Hillary Clinton as decoys?


11 posted on 11/15/2017 8:15:12 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: Obadiah

And the mayor is a Rat. How are they going to keep him safe from the dogs?


12 posted on 11/15/2017 8:15:27 AM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: simpson96
A good terrier like my Abby won't need to be trained to kill rats. It comes natural. She's half Feist and half Jack Russell. I also have her brother and sister from one litter later so I have three of these little rat/squirrel/rabbit killers. She's a year old and the two pups are 3-months old and killing their share of grasshoppers. :-)

This girl is fast enough to chase down a rabbit or squirrel. A rat wouldn't have a chance.

13 posted on 11/15/2017 8:20:21 AM PST by Tennessee Conservative
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To: simpson96

I just added a section of higher fence to keep my 13+ year-old terrier mix from jumping it to chase neighborhood cats. He’s killed a baby rabbit and on one jump before I could get to him got to a kitten under a neighbor’s car and dispatched it in less than 15 seconds. Another neighbor took care of the disposal and we both agreed not to tell the neighbor that continues to feed the fertile feral felines.


14 posted on 11/15/2017 8:21:01 AM PST by CedarDave (Alt-left hates presidents pics on paper money. I'll gladly collect those offensive bills from them!)
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To: mazda77

“We are told this was the way they broke the necks of their prey.”

I watched my daughter’s spaniel do that with a squirrel.

He held it for a few seconds in his mouth,then he went right,left.right,left,and the squirrel was dead.

He then put it on the ground and walked away——there was no bite mark or blood on the squirrel.

.


15 posted on 11/15/2017 8:24:48 AM PST by Mears
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To: simpson96

I have a little Jack Russell that would probably hire out for some of this action.


16 posted on 11/15/2017 8:31:12 AM PST by oldtech
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To: mazda77

Used to be quite a sport —

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat-baiting


17 posted on 11/15/2017 8:40:09 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (Benedict McCain is the worst traitor ever to wear the uniform of the US military.)
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To: mazda77

My rat terrier would do the same. She is more like a cat and as a puppy wouldn’t eat unless I rolled her dry food across the floor. Still doing it for fun (hockey dog never lets it pass) 10 years later.


18 posted on 11/15/2017 8:44:29 AM PST by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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To: simpson96
There's some cool Youtube videos of rat terriers at work, mostly on farms in Britain.....

There's lots of videos of guys using PCP air rifles to hunt them too.........

19 posted on 11/15/2017 8:50:17 AM PST by Hot Tabasco
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To: simpson96

My Boston’s kill anything that comes in the yard. Large ground hogs even. Critters have learned not to come in the yard (except for squirrels).


20 posted on 11/15/2017 9:06:15 AM PST by pas
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