Aug 11, 2014

The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin.

(Photos by Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Tanner (R), a Border Terrier, kills a rat as Catcher (L), a Bedlington Terrier, looks on during an organized rat hunt on New York City’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Tanner, a Border Terrier, kills a rat during an organized rat hunt on New York City’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Richard Reynolds, (2nd R) and other members of the Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S), hunt for rats on New York’s Lower East Side in Manhattan July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: A New York City Police patrol car passes as Richard Reynolds, (L) founding member of the Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S) looks on and his Bedlington Terrier, Catcher, stands on a pile of garbage bags during an organized rat hunt in New York City July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Catcher (L), a Bedlington Terrier, and Tanner (R), a Border Terrier, hunt for rats in a small park on New York City’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Catcher (R), a Bedlington Terrier, pulls on his leash during an organized hunt for rats with the Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society in New York City July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Richard Reynolds (L), founding member of the Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society, stands with others during an organized rat hunt on New York’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Merlin, a Border Terrier, stands by a dead rat which he killed during an organized rat hunt on New York City’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Merlin, a Border Terrier, chews on a dead rat which he killed during an organized rat hunt on New York City’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Judy stands by as her Border Terrier Merlin searches for rats during an organized rat hunt on New York City’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Merlin, a Border Terrier, hunts for rats in a dumpster as his owner Judy looks on, during an organized rat hunt on New York’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Richard Reynolds (L), a founding member of the Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society, uses a flashlight to look for rats in a dumpster as Judy (R) and her Border Terrier Merlin stand by, ready to make a kill, during an organized rat hunt on New York’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Bill leads his dog Paco, a Feist Terrier, though a vacant lot near trash dumpsters during an organized rat hunt on New York City’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

: Merlin, a Border Terrier, stands over a dead rat he killed during an organized rat hunt on New York City’s Lower East Side July 25, 2014. The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) is a group of enthusiasts who take their dogs out to hunt rats in New York City. Members of the independent group venture out on night-time excursions to allow their dogs to do what they do best: hunt and kill vermin. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

The Rat Catchers of New York

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