Ratting with the West Sussex Warreners

Ratting with the West Sussex Warreners

From Dogs with Jobs by Petersfield's Shine Radio

March 1, 2026 · 25 min

About this episode

The episode features a group of dogs and their owners working together to control a rat problem on a shooting estate in Hampshire.

Spirits are high as 18 dogs and their owners brave the rain to clear rats from an area of cover crop on a shooting estate in Hampshire. It’s a “bobbery” pack of different breeds, from a sizeable lurcher to a mini sausage dog, along with terriers and hounds. Host Kate Fairweather marvels at how the different breeds instinctively apply their skills to the jobs that suit them best - marking the rat holes, digging or standing by to chase any rats that slip past the terriers.  After months spent gorging on grain left for the pheasants, the rats have multiplied in the area around the grain bins and ‘cover crop’. Poison is the only alternative to dogs, with the attendant risks to wildlife, so the gamekeeper welcomes the rat pack as the most effective and humane option. It’s noisy, it’s muddy, it’s exciting and it’s certainly quick - a hard bite to the neck, combined with a shake kills the rats instantly, and the dogs move on to the next, cheered on by their owners.  Kate Fairweather was guest of the West Sussex Warreners. Feel free to get in contact with the West Sussex Warreners if you have a farm or a shoot with a rat…

People in this episode

Host: Kate Fairweather

Guest: West Sussex Warreners

Topics covered

  • working dogs
  • rat control
  • dog breeds
  • shooting estate
  • humane pest control

Keywords

  • dogs
  • rats
  • Hampshire
  • West Sussex Warreners
  • working dogs
  • pest control
  • shooting estate

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey

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