Katie weighs 12-ish pounds, is four years old and is a mix of at least four breeds. She’s a tough native Texan thriving in Brooklyn, New York, ridding it of more rats than you can imagine. Her trip from Texas to the Big Apple was unremarkable, but one night at a playground, she revealed her calling – killing rats. She recently got her 364th rat kill in a year. Sarah Darby, her owner, grew up on a farm with Border Collies. She recognized Katie’s instincts instantly.
Source: The New York Times, December 23, 2024. Link. Ms. Darby does not worry about Katie getting poisoned herself — she never eats her quarry. Leptospirosis, a potentially fatal disease spread by rats, is a danger, but Katie is vaccinated against it twice a year. Sometimes a rat will bite Katie’s face during its mortal struggle, but Ms. Darby has learned to clean superficial wounds.
INSIGHTS: An ounce of prevention goes a long way. Vaccines protect Katie against rat bites. We hope Ms. Darby is as proactive with the core canine vaccines, as well.
Photo credit: Sara Koradi for The New York Times
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