Brooklyn Terrier Receives Special Citation for Work in 'War Against NYC Rats'
New York City Council member Chi Ossé honored a very special dog named Luna on Wednesday for being an absolute beast when it comes to waging the war against NYC's rat population.
This little dog has over 200 confirmed rat kills, with 60 this past year!
We just presented an official @NYCCouncil citiation to Luna the Dog for being New York's strongest soldier in our war against the rats 🐀. With over 200 confirmed kills, including over 60 this year alone, Luna is holding the front line and making us proud 🫡 pic.twitter.com/FDz1ZSpifv
— Council Member Chi Ossé (@CMChiOsse) May 15, 2024
Now, before we feel bad for these rats, a single pair can produce hundreds of baby rats every year and these rats can spread diseases like leptospirosis, salmonellosis, hantavirus, and rat-bite fever. Also, rats can harbor parasites such as fleas and ticks, which can further spread diseases to humans and pets. They can also bite domestic pets and people so Luna is doing a great job with helping to control the rat population!
Related: Rat Chilling in NYC Store Window Is Living Its Best Life
Rat hunting dogs are the latest approach in NYC's war on rats, and you can read more about the practice of using dogs to hunt rats here. What brave and helpful pups these are!
Why Rats (No, Not Street Rats) Make Great Pets
Pet rats are very different than city-dwelling, vermin-spreading-sewer-residing-garbage-eating rats, and my family has personally owned a few rats, Bad Leroy, and then a pair we named Hall and Oats, and I can tell you this, rats make absolutely fantastic pets. They are amazingly intelligent and just as affectionate as a dog or a cat. They love cuddling on your lap while you watch TV, and they even like getting in the shower with people.
One huge drawback for having a pet rat is the average lifespan for a rat is 2 to 3 years. If you can’t make a long commitment to a pet, this characteristic may be appealing, but if you have children and aren’t prepared for them to experience the death of a pet, this could be a drawback.
Rats also love having play time outside of their cage, but if you have other pets they can learn to live happily with a rat. Our cats never harmed our rats, but we also never left the animals alone together.
The Humane Society also offers these cute little rat terms:
It’s time to learn some new lingo. When they’re feeling frisky, rats will bound across the floor, a behavior known as “popcorning.” When content, they grind their teeth; that’s called “bruxing.” When they’re super happy, you may see “boggling,” when their eyes bulge out and vibrate.
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