Ratcatcher (attire)

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Ratcatcher is informal attire worn when fox hunting and consists primarily of a tweed jacket with tan breeches. [1] Other specific items of clothing, forming part of the "uniform", might be prescribed by individual hunting clubs.

It is possible that the term was derived from the attire which the "ratcatcher" or "terrier man" wore. He was probably a crofter and followed the hunt across his land. When a fox went to ground, the terrier man would send his terrier into the covert to kill the fox. [2]

In Victorian England the rat-catcher, whose occupation was catching rats as a form of pest control, also used terrier dogs as one way of catching the rats, and this is probably the reason that the "terrier man" on the hunt was often referred to as a "ratcatcher". The Tate holds a painting, The Rat-Catcher and his Dogs exhibited in 1824, [3] which illustrates the form of dress worn by the village ratcatcher in the first half of the 19th century and demonstrates the similarity between that attire and ratcatcher attire worn in fox hunting.

The usage of the word "ratcatcher" is demonstrated in a short story, The Man in Ratcatcher in which one of the characters asks "Who was the fellah in ratcatcher I passed ridin' that awful old quod of yours?" [4]

Again it can be seen in Evelyn Waugh's novel A Handful of Dust ,

She (Nanny) deplored it all, hounds, Master, field, huntsman and whippers-in, Mr Tendril's niece in her mackintosh, Jock in a rat-catcher, Mrs Rattery in tall hat and cutaway coat, oblivious of the suspicious glances of the subscribers ... it was all a lot of nonsense of Ben Hacket's. [5]

He uses the word again in Brideshead Revisited when Cordelia answers Charles' question about where Sebastian is,

"He's in disgrace." The words in that clear, child's voice, had the ring of a bell tolling, but she went on: "Coming out in that beastly rat-catcher coat and mean little tie like something from Captain Morvin's Riding Academy." [6]

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Rat Terrier Dog breed

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Border Terrier Dog breed

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Miniature Fox Terrier Dog breed

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Rat-catcher one who catches and kills rats and other rodents

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Teddy Roosevelt Terrier Dog breed

The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier is a small to medium-sized American hunting terrier. It is lower-set, with shorter legs, and is more muscular with heavier bone density than the related American Rat Terrier. Much diversity exists in the history of the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier breed, and it shares a common early history with the American Rat Terrier, Fox Paulistinha, and Tenterfield Terrier. The Rat Terrier's background is said to stem from the terriers or other dogs that were brought over by early English and other working-class immigrants. Since the breed was a farm, hunting, and utility dog, little to no planned breeding was used other than breeding dogs with agreeable traits to each other to produce the desired work ethic in the dog. The Feist (dog), Bull Terrier, Smooth Fox Terrier, Manchester Terrier, Whippet, Italian Greyhound, the now extinct English White Terrier, Turnspit Dog, and Wry-legged Terrier all share in the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier's ancestry. These early ratting terriers were then most likely bred to the Beagle or Beagle crossbred dogs and other dogs. Maximizing the influences from these various breeds provides the modern Teddy Roosevelt Terrier with a keen sense of awareness and prey drive, an acute sense of smell. and a very high intellect. Although they tend to be aloof with strangers, they are devoted companion dogs with a strong desire to please and be near their owners at all times.

Earthdog trial

An earthdog test tests the working ability and instinct of the small, often short-legged terriers or Dachshunds. These dogs were bred to hunt vermin and other quarry which lived in underground dens. Earthdog den tests involve man-made tunnels that the dogs must navigate, while scenting a rat, "the quarry." The dog must follow the scent to the quarry and then "work" the quarry. Depending on the sanctioning organization, “working” means barking, scratching, staring, pawing, digging; any active behavior. The quarry is protected at all times by wooden bars across the end of the tunnel. The hunting encounter is controlled, and neither the dog nor the quarry are endangered by the activity.

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Shadbelly

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Rat-baiting blood sport

Rat baiting is a blood sport, which involves placing captured rats in a sunken pit or other enclosed area surrounded by spectators, and then betting on how long a dog, usually a terrier, takes to kill them by taking rats in its mouth and shaking them to death. Often, two dogs competed, with the winner receiving a cash prize. It is now illegal in most countries.

Ratonero Bodeguero Andaluz Dog breed

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Feist (dog) Dog breed

A feist is a small hunting dog, descended from the terriers brought over to the United States by English miners and other working-class immigrants. These terriers probably included crosses between the Smooth Fox Terrier, the Manchester Terrier, and the now extinct English White Terrier. These dogs were used as ratters, and gambling on their prowess in killing rats was a favorite hobby of their owners. Some of these dogs have been crossed with Greyhounds, Whippets or Italian Greyhounds, and Beagles or other hounds - extending the family to include a larger variety of purpose than the original ratter, or Rat Terrier.

A rat-catcher is profession centred on catching rats as a form of pest control.

Working terrier hunting dog

A working terrier is a small type of dog which pursues its quarry into the earth. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name dates back to at least 1440, derived from French chien terrier 'digging dog', from Medieval Latin terrarius, ultimately from Latin terra (earth).

Hunt Terrier refers to types of terrier dogs that were attached to British "hunts", horse-oriented social clubs devoted to chasing the red fox on horseback, following packs of hounds. The hunt terrier was kept for a variety of reasons, such as rat control around stables and kennels, and to run with the hounds to flush the fox from small hiding places. It might also be expected to flush foxes from underground dens, or to act as a lurcher. They tended to be white in colour so as to be more easily seen by the hunter, but they could be any colour.

Plummer Terrier Dog breed

The Plummer Terrier is a working terrier.

A ratter is a type of dog that has been developed for catching rats and other vermin. A typical ratter is small to medium-sized and has a short and smooth coat. Their ears are often erect, although some breeds can have semi-erect and folded ears.

Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a New York City group founded in the 1990s that conducts organized rat hunting with 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. The group often hunts in Lower Manhattan locations like Theatre Alley where garbage is accessible to vermin.

References

  1. "Merriam Webster Dictionary" . Retrieved 6 Sep 2013.
  2. "HGS Horse Forum" . Retrieved 6 Sep 2013.
  3. "The Ratcatcher and His Dogs" . Retrieved 6 Sep 2013.
  4. 'The Man in Ratcatcher' a short story by H. C. McNeile in The Man in Ratcatcher and Other Stories, George H Doran, 1921
  5. Waugh, Evelyn (1934). A Handful of Dust. London: Penguin. p. 103. ISBN   9780241341100.
  6. Waugh, Evelyn (1945). Brideshead Revisited . Boston: Little, Browne And Company. p.  166.