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Send to : mail@mysealyhams.com Best Frank All these photos were taken in the last few months as we promote the Sealyham up and down the country. We are having fabulous results. Thanks so much for your support.....
A Ratters Tail Please find enclosed an account of last weekends ratting session below & a picture of the rats caught !
We've just recently got a new pitch, which I've decided to call "Paradise City", at the local "Cowp". As I wasn't the one who'd made the introductions I wasn't too sure what to expect.The area that we went to is a considerable size; I've passed it a many times in the car & only entered when dropping off my larger household waste & recycling. As I was expecting to be spending the day out in the elements, I allocated the whole day to the task of looking the place over & identifying potential hazards. We took four terriers & a lurcher. We also took our "poking wires", two spades, a shovel, a small crowbar, gloves & my "good luck" stick. After meeting up with the security man, he told us to park the car & follow him, the snow was falling pretty heavily by this time & I had a sense of foreboding about how things were going to pan out. As this was our first time out I took two experienced terriers (Castor & Poppy) & two novices (Tim & Jock), I wasn't expecting to be actually ratting & if we did, our success rate was going to be low. To my surprise the security guard did not lead us outside but in fact lead us to a building, inside of which housed an extremely large metal container. As we approached Castor & Poppy shot on ahead, ran up the mountain of rubbish & attempted to scramble up the last two foot of smooth wall, it was then that I knew there was a god & she had smiled upon us. The only entrance was through a fairly small opening in the middle of a south facing wall, I peered in & had to wait for my eyes to adjust to the dim light inside. The floor was covered in household waste & stank to heaven, running over this rubbish were small dim figures. I turned, climbed down the rubbish mountain & back to the car where I took out the only torch that we had (a small rechargeable one). On reaching the top again I shone the torch inside & nearly wet myself with excitement at what I saw. There were hundreds of rats swarming over the rubbish & they had nowhere to escape. With one backward glance I thanked the security guard & climbed inside, the girders on the walls were covered in a grey slime, which clung to my hands like glue. I shone the torch on the floor (which was easily knee deep in litter) & the rats scattered, looking up I saw the dim figure of Kevin (like me I'm sure he was smiling). Quickly he dropped all four terriers onto the floor & they set about their work with "gutso". I walked slowly to the furthest wall, shining the torch along the way & encouraging the terriers to snap at the fleeing rats, the terriers found it hard going because the rubbish impeded their momentum, most of the rats got away once out of the torch beam.
While I was inside, Kevin returned the lurcher to the car (she wasn't happy) & Geoff (our security man) decided to give us a helping hand & asked one of the drivers to move the rubbish about while I was inside the container.
By this time I was standing at the back wall facing outwards, when it all kicked off, & through the dim light I could see the rats spilling over the doorway in a bid to escape, the perceived danger of being caught up in the rubbish. I wasn't quite expecting this, I must admit I was taken aback & quickly drew my breath in, in surprise. I'm not sure how many rats there were but the numbers seemed great & being in the dark, watching the rats spilling onto the floor & moving towards me was unnerving. It took all of my strength not to panic & I had to take a few more steadying breathes to collect myself & not react to my natural instincts which was to "get the fcuk out of there". Having read Brian Plummer's books & having chatted to him about his "ratting days" helped. The rats were not hanging about & were dropping onto the waiting terriers, most of them rushing towards me.
As they passed by (I'd came off the back wall by then), I turned on the torch-light again & started to call the dogs to me. This was difficult because the dogs were not stopping for toffee, Poppy in particular stood out, and she was like something possessed. Kevin had brought his son (Wee Kev) with him; both go everywhere together & so it is only natural Wee Kev wanted to come along, by this time both Kevin's had joined me. As they walked towards me (following the torch beam) I could hear Big Kev hiss "look she's got another one, she's like the "Dark Destroyer", and I want a pup from her"! All the dogs were trying their best I couldn't fault them; Tim & Jock followed the boys over & stood panting at my feet. This is when I started to flick rats off the back wall orner & onto the floor, watching both "novices" chase after them.
As the pushed rats were leaping past my shoulder, they were hitting Wee Kev's legs, scrambling over his feet & away from the waiting terriers. Although he must have been a little scared he did as he was told & I could occasionally hear him nervously giggle & say "dad another one's just hit my leg", his father's reply was "yes I know they're hitting mine to". It wasn't fair on him but every time we threatened to put him out he would protest & begged to stay. As he stayed put, he was in no real danger of being bitten & his dad agreed to let him stay this one & only time. They breed them tough up here & I was so proud of him! He's now going to have to wait until he's bigger & he surprisingly accepted our decision (not!).
After sometime even Castor & Poppy came over & on turning to the wall again, I saw that more rats had congregated at the corners (about four foot from the floor) & so I flicked them off the ledges & back onto the ground one by one, while the terriers waited in the dark. As each rat leaped I followed it with the beam & watched the terriers scramble after it. The odds were stacked against the dogs but I wasn't caring (the rats were going nowhere, we'd be back next time & we'd be better prepared) as you may have guessed most of the rats escaped but we did account for eighteen in two hours. Castor & Poppy again did most of the work, Poppy quickly realising where the rats were running & lay waiting for them, with Castor waiting at her side. Poppy would snap them up & shook them like mad; Castor would catch the next unlucky one & crush it to death. All we could hear was the squeals & the dogs panting with the exertion. Tim & Jock were still a little confused at first but soon go into the swig of things & gave chase, marking where the rats lay hidden. Tim eventually got his first kill, after a few failed attempts (he kept trying to pin the rats with his front paws). Jock investigated a few twitching carcasses & didn't seem to be too phased by the experience. At twenty weeks I wasn't expecting too much from him & he did seem to enjoy himself, so I'm not complaining.
Not only were the rats all around us but I could feel them underfoot, obviously using the runs in the piles of rubbish. It reminded me of the scene in "Star wars" where Han Solo, Luke Skywalker & the Princess got trapped in the rubbish hold (but without the water). The thought was only a cursory flash & it was gone, it was then back to work & encouraging the terriers to do what they were bred for!
We only gave up when the torch failed us & so we reluctantly climbed back out, into the dull daylight to find that it had begun to snow AGAIN! We were all filthy & stank; the dogs were no longer white but a dull grey. Poppy & Castor's faces were covered in blood but on closer investigation it was nothing serious. My shirt was soaked through with sweat & sticking to my back, my trousers looked "like two giant grey slugs" & I smelt of damp rotting cabbage & month old socks, but I don't care because I've got the "ratting" bug big style! I've ratted before (the occasional single rat caught on some waste ground) but nothing like in these numbers & it is just like Brian Plummer described.
After packing up the dogs, I lay out the catch & took a quick snap which is below.
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