In the Boston area, the rodent problem is becoming increasingly rampant, with past attempts at control efforts proving to be ineffective. Now, a pest control company based in Washington, D.C. believes that trained dogs could be a very effective solution.
Unique Pest Management, the organization in question, has specially trained Patterdale Terriers that are able to sniff out and eliminate rats.
Founded by Scott Mullaney and Angie Mullaney, the company brings their dogs to the Boston area every month to provide services to clients and educate people on rodent control techniques.
“Our current record is eliminating 88 rats within 3 hours,” says Scott.
The rat control dogs have already been of service in Cambridge and other towns in the northeast, helping to reduce the use of rat poisons. Scott states, “Our service is very beneficial for the Boston area. They grab the rats by the back of the neck, shake them a few times, severing the rat’s spinal cord, causing immediate death. Then they spit out the rat and continue to catch the next one.”
These rat control dogs can dig out rats from burrows, locate entry points into buildings, and search ceiling spaces, crawl spaces, and wall gaps to eliminate rodent infestations. They can also mark their territory to prevent rodents from returning.
“Dogs, like humans, have their own specialties,” says Scott. Weighing less than 20 pounds each, these hunting dogs have served multiple times in challenging locations in Cambridge, including public works buildings in the city.
David Power, the Environmental Health Project Coordinator for the Cambridge Public Schools District, expressed his interest in animal behavior to the media, saying, “I find this very cool.”
Power stated that Cambridge has made significant progress in controlling the rodent population and does not use rat poison as a first line of defense.
In addition to the rat control dogs, the city has installed 60 smart boxes that have been successful in eliminating thousands of rats. These boxes can sense rats entering the interior and then electrocute them to death.
In Boston, rat control plans are still in the works. The City Council of Boston is expected to vote on Councilor Ed Flynn’s proposal at the end of this month. The proposal aims to establish a dedicated pest control office and appoint a “Rat Czar” to emulate New York City’s rat control model.
However, John Ulrich, Assistant Commissioner of Inspectional Services Department in Boston, believes that there is no need to establish a separate rat control department. “We currently have a rodent control division. We have 14 inspectors licensed in pest control,” he said.
Ulrich explained that inspectors are still learning about the rat control dogs from Washington, D.C. and will engage in further communication with relevant agencies.