OkcPets Magazine March 2023

24 OKC Pets • March / April 2023 Big Friendly Dog Training is a professional, in-home dog training company that services Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas. We specialize in negative behaviors such as aggression and anxiety. We also have puppy training and basic obedience training programs. CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE 405-493-6490 | toll free 800-649-7297 training@bigfriendlydogtraining.com | w ww.bigfriendlydogtraining.com wide variety of infectious bacteria in its blood — and not develop the diseases themselves — historians have begun to believe that plagues spread mostly through humans. (See? I told you rats get a bad rap!) In Australia, the effect of the black-rat population is seen as a mixed bag. Their diet and subsequent elimination changed the pH of the soil in areas — which then messed up the vegetation. Black rats went on to compete with the native bush rats and take over their turf. Bush rats had been responsible for spreading the spores of their favorite food — truffles (you may use your imagination on how this happened). Truffle production should have plummet- ed, ruining such pricey crops, but no! Truffle farmers lucked out! The black rat likes truffles too! Who knew? Thus, truffle-loving black rats proved to be a happy trade in contributing to the diversity of fungi in Australia. (Minor point here: I started to laugh when I read that their “correct identity” is Rattus rattus. Whoever names these guys could benefit from a creative writing course, IMHO.) 3 The brown rat (see above statement re an appalling lack of imagination in rodent naming) is pretty much supreme in the Oklahoma Rat Department. Also called Norway rats, they probably origi- nated in Asia and arrived in the United States through Russian shipping, hence the name Norway (sounds like a politician was involved somewhere in naming, right?). These kids weigh as much as one-and- a-quarter pounds and can grow to 16 inches long. Unlike the tree-loving black rats, Norwegian browns prefer burrows — miles and miles of elaborate burrows, running underground anywhere there’s ground. They’re found everywhere except Antarctica and can thrive on anything — fruits, vegetables, insects, seeds, nuts, gar- bage, waste (another good reason to scoop poop in your backyard), and each other. Males and females of brown ratdom are called bucks and does; the babies are pups. Breeding begins at three months, and the does can have as many as seven litters a year, with the strongest and fittest of the bucks usually dominating. Rats are very hierarchical. (Warning: I’m going to assume we are all adults or adult enough to read the following: When a doe goes into heat, she can mate as many as 500 times during her six-hour cycle. Mind-boggled.) Luckily for the rest of the animal king- dom, wild rats usually live no longer than a year, with the oldest recorded brown rat surviving to the ripe old age of seven (con- sidering their procreational track records, I can see why). Another weird fact to throw out at your next gathering: More and more rats are becoming immune to certain poi- sons and can ingest tainted food with no problem. Sort of like teenagers…. Rats Benefit Human Life Some centuries back, because of their reproductive abilities, rats became blood sport for betting and entertainment, bred as victims of competition. Records from about 1820 reveal a dog’s speed in dispatching rodents, with terrier breeds quickly shining. Scientists noted how fast rats replaced themselves, and by the mid- 1800s, used them in experiments, while breeding became steadily refined to control genetic variation. Yes, all of those animals most probably suffered; yes, you may owe your life or the life of a loved one to this history. But using rats for their bodies’ abilities isn’t the only area of their existence that has benefited humans. These creatures are intelligent, like to play, have critical think- ing skills, and are far easier to guide than a toddler. As you read this, trainers are working with African giant pouched rats (nicknamed HeroRATs) for a wide variety of reasons beneficial to humans. Within nine months, a young rat can be taught to scent a land mine and alert the rat’s handler. With postwar land mines still scattered throughout many countries, this skill has prevented countless tragedies. Rats can cover an area in 30 minutes, com- pared with four days of human effort. On the health front, HeroRATs can diagnose tuberculosis, a major killer in equatorial countries and plenty contagious. Rats clear 100 samples in 20 minutes, but technicians need four days to detect disease through a microscope. At this point, these rats are being trained for disasters. Wearing tiny backpacks with built-in phones, rats can fit through tiny spaces to search for earthquake victims. There may come a day when seeing a rat could mean the difference between life and death in the best of ways, maybe for someone you love. So I salute them. Heroes, indeed.