SuperPup, LLC

06/12/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (12/7) - it's going to be in the 40's so should be nice for hunting. Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run. Both rings will be set up for BH in anticipation of the trial this weekend. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Dec 9-10 - The last BH trial here in 2023. Dayna Dreger is the judge. Premium can be found at www.barnhunt.com under the events page or email me (see above). Late entries close today at 6 pm. Even if there is a chance you are coming, let Betsy know at [email protected]. It's easier to do the paperwork in advance.

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial. Premium is uploaded to www.happyratters.com - click on the "entries" link and find the premium there. Or email me at [email protected] and I will send it to you. We are playing a special Christmas version of Rat Trap as the first class that day. Instead of up to 20 tubes being out and visual, one of which is a rat - we have been granted permission to use Christmas gift bags to keep the tubes from rolling around. Should be pretty and fun = pretty fun!

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month for a chiropractic clinic to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (12/18). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

After the HR trial on 12/16, Splashdown! Farm will be shut down through 1/2/24 to enjoy the holidays.

Welcome the holidays in with some rattie fun!

Happy Ratters The Happy Ratter’s Philosophy – the goal is for the dog and owner to have a fun, positive and successful experience while enhancing the bond between dog and owner, and placing a high priority on safety! Fun, trusting environment for dogs and their handlers to hunt vermin(rats) in ....

30/11/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (11/30) - it's going to be in the 40's!!! It's a heat wave! Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run or $6.00 for a Happy Ratter run - I'm not sure if that will still be set up though. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie or tracking fun:

- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial. Dayna Dreger is the judge. Premium can be found at www.barnhunt.com under the events page or email me (see above). It closes today (11/29) at midnight then goes to late entries for $5.00 additional per run. I will extend this until 6 pm tomorrow since I forgot to send a reminder earlier today.

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial. Premium is uploaded to www.happyratters.com - click on the "entries" link and find the premium there. Or email me at [email protected] and I will send it to you. We are playing a special Christmas version of Rat Trap as the last class that day. Instead of up to 20 tubes being out and visual, one of which is a rat - we have been granted permission to use Christmas gift bags to keep the tubes from rolling around. Should be pretty and fun = pretty fun!

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month for a chiropractic clinic to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (12/4). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

After the HR trial on 12/16, Splashdown! Farm will be shut down through 1/2/24 to enjoy the holidays.

Welcome the holidays in with some rattie fun!

Happy Ratters The Happy Ratter’s Philosophy – the goal is for the dog and owner to have a fun, positive and successful experience while enhancing the bond between dog and owner, and placing a high priority on safety! Fun, trusting environment for dogs and their handlers to hunt vermin(rats) in ....

28/11/2023

The premium for the Happy Ratter trial on 12/16 has been uploaded to www.happyratter.com. Click on the "Upcoming Events/Results" link. Or email me at [email protected] and I will send you a copy.

Come and try it - it's a blast and the scenting picture is different for the dogs! The dogs are having a blast!

24/11/2023

Meet Monkey Paw - the prettiest of them all!

Just a reminder that we have plenty of slots available to come and try Happy Ratters tomorrow. If you plan to come, please send me your entry form so I can prepare as much as possible ([email protected]). If not, day of show entries are taken from 7:45-8:30 am.

For those planning to come, there is a sick chicken in the garage. Please don't bring dogs in for this trial. They can be outside the door, but I don't want any more stress than necessary for the chicken.

Also, remember that if you finish a title in trial 1 of any of the classes, you may choose to stay at that level and go for your metallic titles or move up in trial 2 to the next level up. If you haven't been tracking your points, they can be found under "results" at www.happyratters.com. The dates of our trials are May 19 and July 1 this year. I suggest you look that up this evening so you have the info in advance as some will be quick turn-arounds. If you are going to move up between trials, please come to the garage after you put your dog away and fill out a move-up form.

BTW, I am 95% done creating a hard-copy tracker to make tracking all the classes easier. I will have some for sell by the December 16th trial (hopefully before that for those that want it earlier).

See ya tomorrow - great weather for hunting, although a little cold first thing in the morning!

20/11/2023

A couple of you said you were entering the Happy Ratters trial this Saturday but I haven't received your entries. If you want the cheaper price, scan and send your entry form to me at [email protected]. If it's not in by midnight tonight, the price goes up $5/run. We will still have plenty of room, though. So, send in those entries.

Eat on Thursday! Shop on Friday! Play with your dogs on Saturday! Sunday, of course, is for resting :-)

16/11/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (11/16) - the weather is beauuuutiful!!! Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Regular cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run in the back ring under Barn Hunt rules. We will have the front ring set up for Happy Ratters - try-its will be $6.00 for a 3-1/2 minute run so you can try 2 different times. You can do multiple rings if you want.

The chickens said to remind you to bring any pumpkins that you are disposing of so they can eat them! They are hungry little heathens! Please - no painted or moldy pumpkins as they might hurt the chickens!

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie fun:

- Nov 25 - Happy Ratters trial. Premium can be found on the events page at www.happyratters.com or email me at [email protected]. Remember, you will need to be registered with the organization. Practice tomorrow night and sign up right then and there if your dog does well!

- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial. Dayna Dreger is the judge. Premium can be found at www.barnhunt.com under the events page or email me (see above).

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial (approval pending).

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month for a chiropractic clinic to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (12/4) as she is off until then. Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

After the class on 11/16, Splashdown! Farm will be shut down from 11/17 through 11/24 so get your practice in by 11/16! Also, we will be shutting down after the HR trial on 12/16 through 1/2/24 to enjoy the holidays.

Welcome the holidays in with some rattie fun!

Happy Ratters The Happy Ratter’s Philosophy – the goal is for the dog and owner to have a fun, positive and successful experience while enhancing the bond between dog and owner, and placing a high priority on safety! Fun, trusting environment for dogs and their handlers to hunt vermin(rats) in ....

09/11/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (11/9) - it's great hunting weather right now! Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie or tracking fun:

- Nov 25 - Happy Ratters trial. Premium can be found on the events page at www.happyratters.com or email me at [email protected]. Remember, you will need to be registered with the organization. On Thursday, Nov. 16, you will have the opportunity to practice during the Thursday evening run-thrus.

- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial. Dayna Dreger is the judge. Premium can be found at www.barnhunt.com under the events page or email me (see above).

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial (approval pending).

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month for a chiropractic clinic to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (12/4) as she is off until then. Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

After the class on 11/16, Splashdown! Farm will be shut down from 11/17 through 11/24 so get your practice in by 11/16! Also, we will be shutting down after the HR trial on 12/16 through 1/2/24 to enjoy the holidays.

Welcome the holidays in with some rattie fun!

Barn Hunt is based on the traditional roles of many breeds in ridding farms, barns, crop storage areas, and homes of destructive vermin. Some breeds were specifically created to fill this role, and for many of those breeds, Barn Hunt provides their first true opportunity for responsible breeders to....

07/11/2023

2024 Upcoming events:
(BH - Barn Hunt; HR - Happy Ratters; BWD - Bad weather date)

1/11 (BWD 1/18) - HR evening
2/1 (BWD 2/8) - BH evening
2/22 (BWD 2/29) - HR evening
3/16-17 - BH
4/4 - BH evening
4/6-7 - HR
4/25 - HR evening
5/4-5 - BH
5/11-12 - CPE agility trial - Lewisberry, PA
5/16 - HR evening
5/27 - HR (Memorial Day)
6/6 - BH evening
6/15-16 - HR
6/27 - BH evening

More to come...

04/11/2023

The ratties hope you had a safe, spooooky Halloween!

Just wanted to let you know that the 11/25 Happy Ratters premium list has been uploaded to the web site - you can find it under the Events link at the top of www.happyratters.com. Or, if you email me at [email protected], I can send you a copy.

Here is my plan: We are going to run classes as normal next Thursday (if weather permits, so don't forget to check first!). On Thursday, 11/16, we will have Happy Ratters run-thrus in the front ring and Barn Hunt run-thrus in the back ring (with a novice and a U-turn senior tunnel; no open tunnel available, but you can work on the senior one and being in a bigger ring). So, you can try out HR and see if you want to enter. The closing date for the trial is Monday, 11/20 at which point you will have to pay late fees. So there is time to enter after you get to try it.

I will be closed for Thanksgiving from Nov. 17-24. Need some time off to rest and get some things done around here.

The chickens are squawking for me to remind you that they would love to eat your leftover pumpkins. So don't throw them away - bring them here so they can tell you if they are tasty or not. Please.no painted or moldy ones - just throw those away as that's not good for any creature :-P

Jan

Happy Ratters The Happy Ratter’s Philosophy – the goal is for the dog and owner to have a fun, positive and successful experience while enhancing the bond between dog and owner, and placing a high priority on safety! Fun, trusting environment for dogs and their handlers to hunt vermin(rats) in ....

02/11/2023

We will be having class tonight - sorry, forgot to post yesterday. Starts at 6:30 pm. See ya then!

23/10/2023

Please remember that we will NOT have class this Thursday as we are having a trial here. It will be 78 degrees on Thursday so will be between 65-72 by the time we are running dogs. Come and join us as this is fabulous hunting weather - not too hot for the dogs and not too cold for the humans :-) Late registration closes at 6 pm today, but don't worry - the price for late and day of show entries is the same! Come and join us for some fun! Just let Betsy know if you plan to come - [email protected].

The tracking seminar was wonderful - I learned a whole lot even without working my dog. I hope we can get John back here again! Perhaps for a VST version of the seminar??? If you are interested, please let me know and I will start working on it.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie fun:

- Oct. 26 evening BH trial - Come celebrate Halloween and see if you and your dog can chase away the Tunnel Monster!

- Nov 25 (Saturday after Thanksgiving) - Happy Ratters trial. (Not yet confirmed.)

- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial. Dayna Dreger is the judge and she be crazy funny!

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial (Not yet confirmed.)

2024 dates for BHs: March 16-17, May 4-5, Sep 7-8, Oct 12-13, Nov 2-3, and Dec 14-15. Put them on your calendar :-)

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month for a chiropractic clinic to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (12/4) as she is off until then. Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

Welcome Fall in with some rattie fun!

18/10/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (10/19) - it's great hunting weather right now! Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

ABSOLUTELY THE LAST CALL for auditors for the tracking seminar this weekend. It's sooo hard to tell here in MD, but it looks like most of the rain will be happening on Friday now. Contact me for more info at [email protected] ASAP.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie or tracking fun:

- Oct. 21-22 - Tracking Workshop with John Rice (co-author of "Following Ghosts" and former K9 Park Ranger/Police Officer). If interested, email me at [email protected] and I will send you a flier.

- Oct. 26 evening BH trial - Come celebrate Halloween and see if you and your dog can chase away the Tunnel Monster! Currently, the weather that day is supposed to be 70!!!

- Nov 25 (Saturday after Thanksgiving) - Happy Ratters trial. (Not yet confirmed.)

- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial. Dayna Dreger is the judge.

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial (Not yet confirmed.)

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month for a chiropractic clinic to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (12/4) as she is off until then. Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

Welcome Fall in with some rattie fun!

(Picture: Andi and Kinja take 4th in Teams at 2019 Nationals in TX.)

11/10/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (10/12) - it's great hunting weather right now! Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie or tracking fun:

- Oct. 14-15 - Barn Hunt weekend trial with Alicia Fencer as the judge. No P**p Hole game, though. Maybe by the Happy Ratters trial.

- Oct. 21-22 - Tracking Workshop with John Rice (co-author of "Following Ghosts" and former K9 Park Ranger/Police Officer). If interested, email me at [email protected] and I will send you a flier.

- Oct. 26 evening BH trial - Come celebrate Halloween and see if you and your dog can chase away the Tunnel Monster!

- Nov 25 (Saturday after Thanksgiving) - Happy Ratters trial. (Not yet confirmed.)

- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial.

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial (Not yet confirmed.)

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (10/16). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment. PLEASE NOTE: She will be off the month of November for some personal time, so don't hold off getting your dog(s) adjusted.

Welcome Fall in with some rattie fun!

(Picture is of Xaris taking HIC at an Oriole trial held here in 2018, I think.)

10/10/2023

Just a reminder that the trial this weekend closes for late entries at 6 PM on Wednesday. Get your entries in unless you want to have to come by 7:45 to sign up on Saturday :-)

Also, still have auditing spaces for the Tracking seminar with John Rice. Send an email to me at [email protected] for more information.

04/10/2023

***10/14-15 trial closes at midnight tonight for regular entries. Save some money and get your entries in tonight or at least postmarked by today.***

We will have evening classes tomorrow (10/5) - it's great hunting weather right now! Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie or tracking fun:

- Oct. 14-15 - Barn Hunt weekend trial with Alicia Fencer as the judge. The P**p Hole game should be ready to go for this trial 🙂

- Oct. 21-22 - Tracking Workshop with John Rice (co-author of "Following Ghosts" and former K9 Park Ranger/Police Officer). If interested, email me at [email protected] and I will send you a flier.

- Oct. 26 evening BH trial - Come celebrate Halloween and see if you and your dog can chase away the Tunnel Monster!

- Nov 25 (Saturday after Thanksgiving) - Happy Ratters trial. (Not yet confirmed.)

- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial.

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial (Not yet confirmed.)

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (10/16). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment. PLEASE NOTE: She will be off the month of November for some personal time, so don't hold off getting your dog(s) adjusted.

Welcome Fall in with some rattie fun!

27/09/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (9/28) - it's great hunting weather right now! Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie or tracking fun:

- Oct. 14-15 - Barn Hunt weekend trial with Alicia Fencer as the judge. The P**p Hole game should be ready to go for this trial 🙂

- Oct. 21-22 - Tracking Workshop with John Rice (co-author of "Following Ghosts" and former K9 Park Ranger/Police Officer). If interested, email me at [email protected] and I will send you a flier.

- Oct. 26 evening BH trial - Come celebrate Halloween and see if you and your dog can chase away the Tunnel Monster!

- Nov 25 (Saturday after Thanksgiving) - Happy Ratters trial. (Not yet confirmed.)

- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial.

- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial (Not yet confirmed.)

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (10/2). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

Welcome Fall in with some rattie fun!

21/09/2023

I have 1 working spot and a couple of private lessons (1 each on Friday and Monday) available. If you've been waffling, now is the time to make that decision to come join us!

Tracking workshop is with John Rice, co-author of "Following Ghosts" and a former Park Police K-9 handler, and then K-9 Police handler. Date is October 21-22, which private lessons held on Friday the 20th and Monday the 23rd.

Contact Jan at [email protected] if you are interested!

21/09/2023

Meet Fireball! She says "Halloween is creeping up on us - boo on you if you don't let your dog come and meet me!" :-)

We will have evening classes tomorrow (9/21) - the weather is BEAUTIFUL right now so come take advantage of it. Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12.00 for a 7 minute run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie or tracking fun:

- Oct. 14-15 - Barn Hunt weekend trial with Alicia Fencer as the judge. The P**p Hole game should be ready to go for this trial 🙂
- Oct. 21-22 - Tracking Workshop with John Rice (co-author of "Following Ghosts" and former K9 Park Ranger/Police Officer). If interested, email me at [email protected] and I will send you a flier.
- Oct. 26 evening BH trial - Come celebrate Halloween and see if you and your dog can chase away the Tunnel Monster!
- Nov 25 (Saturday after Thanksgiving) - Happy Ratters trial. (Not yet confirmed.)
- Dec 9-10 - BH weekend trial.
- Dec 16 - HR Saturday trial (Not yet confirmed.)

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is Monday (10/2). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

Welcome Fall in with some rattie fun!

13/09/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (9/14) - the weather is BEAUTIFUL right now so come take advantage of it. Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come on along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12/7 mins per run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie or tracking fun:

- Oct. 14-15 - Barn Hunt weekend trial with Alicia Fencer as the judge. The P**p Hole game should be ready to go for this trial :-)

- Oct. 21-22 - Tracking Workshop with John Rice (co-author of "Following Ghosts" and former K9 Park Ranger/Police Officer). If interested, email me at [email protected] and I will send you a flier.

- Oct. 26 evening BH trial - Come celebrate Halloween and see if you and your dog can chase away the Tunnel Monster!

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month to help keep our dogs in shape. The next one is this coming Monday (9/18). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

Come do fun sniffing things with your dog and create some memories this summer!

(Picture is by Jenny Brawley of Nunn Better Dog Pics and is titled "The Eighth Rat!" Kinja had some rattie funs with Holly!)

30/08/2023

WORKING SLOTS ARE FULL - still taking wait listings though!

FYI - Tracking seminar Oct. 21-22 with John Rice, co-author of Following Ghosts. If interested, send me your email at [email protected] and I will forward the flyer to you. Half of the working slots are full already.

30/08/2023

Don't forget, we will NOT have rat hunting class this week as we have an evening trial on 8/31. The briefing is at 5:30 pm. Come and join us! The weather will be in the 70s and make BEAUTIFUL hunting Thursday. Due to the current bout of kennel cough going around, we will try wiping the tubes between each dog with a vinegar solution to keep both dogs and rats healthy! I am also watching the hurricane situation in the hopes that it does not unexpectedly turn and come North. I doubt that will happen, but if it does, I have a plan!

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie fun:

- Aug. 31 evening trial is this Thursday. We have plenty of openings - come join us! Premium is uploaded to the events calendar at www.barnhunt.com. Dayna is the judge and she is loads of fun, as are her courses! Briefing starts at 5:30 pm.

- Sept 9-10 - our first weekend trial of the Fall season. It's open now and the premium is listed on www.barnhunt.com under the Events link.

- 10/21-22 - I have scheduled a tracking seminar with John Rice (author of Following Ghosts). If interested, please email me at [email protected] for the entry form as Meta won't let me upload it!

Look for a Happy Ratters 1-day weekend event hopefully the end of September or early October - working that date out still.

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month - next one is Labor Day Monday (9/4). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

Come, get your sniff on!

Barn Hunt is based on the traditional roles of many breeds in ridding farms, barns, crop storage areas, and homes of destructive vermin. Some breeds were specifically created to fill this role, and for many of those breeds, Barn Hunt provides their first true opportunity for responsible breeders to....

23/08/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (8/24) - the weather is BEAUTIFUL right now so come take advantage of it. Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come on along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12/7 mins per run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie fun:

- Aug. 31 is the last of the summer evening BH events this year. It closed on 8/21 so we are now on late entry rates. Premium is uploaded to the events calendar at www.barnhunt.com. Dayna is the judge and she is loads of fun, as are her courses! Briefing starts at 5:30 pm.

- Sept 9-10 - our first weekend trial of the Fall season. It's open now and the premium is listed on www.barnhunt.com under the Events link.

- I am trying my hardest to get a tracking seminar with John Rice (author of Following Ghosts) on Oct. 21-22. This is what I can tell you so far: hopefully at Rosaryville State Park, 10 working spots, unlimited auditors BUT auditors will be learning about mapping and laying tracks. (In other words, the working spots just mean those people get to run their dogs - auditors can do everything else.) If interested in either a working or auditor spot, email me at [email protected].

Look for a Happy Ratters 1-day weekend event hopefully the end of September or early October - working that date out still.

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month - next one is Labor Day Monday (9/4). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

Come do fun sniffing things with your dog and create some memories this summer!

Barn Hunt is based on the traditional roles of many breeds in ridding farms, barns, crop storage areas, and homes of destructive vermin. Some breeds were specifically created to fill this role, and for many of those breeds, Barn Hunt provides their first true opportunity for responsible breeders to....

17/08/2023

We will have evening classes tomorrow (8/17) - the weather is BEAUTIFUL right now so come take advantage of it. Class starts at 6:30 pm. Just come on along - no need to sign up. Cost is $12/7 mins per run. You can do multiple runs if you want to stick around for them.

Upcoming events - come join us for some rattie fun:
- Aug. 31 is the last of the summertime evening BH series events this year. It closes on 8/21 so get your entries in ASP. Premium is uploaded to the events calendar at www.barnhunt.com. Dayna is the judge and she is loads of fun, as are her courses! Briefing starts at 5:30 pm.

- Sept 9-10 - our first weekend trial of the Fall season. It's open now and the premium is listed on www.barnhunt.com under the Events link.

Dr. Sandy Ziemski is here the 1st and 3rd Monday each month - next one is this Monday (8/21). Contact her at [email protected] for an appointment.

Come do fun sniffing things with your dog and create some fun this summer!

08/12/2022

Thought I would re-share this poem I wrote in 2016 - many of you weren't even aware of the sport back then. It's old and many things have changed since then, but the sentiment is still the same. (Hmm, perhaps it's time for an update to the poem!)

Teiva’s Night Before Christmas!
An account of the visit to Splashdown! Farm by The Christmas Rat

(Things you need to know before reading: Teiva = My black lab working on his RATCHX2. Pink Torpedo = An awesome rat that has starred on a CBS News spot as well as helped with a demo that may possibly lead to bringing BH to the country of Sweden!)

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all cross the farm
Not a creature was stirring, even out in the barn.
The stockings were hung near a live tree with lights
That twinkled in colors so pretty and bright.

The pups were nestled all snug in Mom’s bed
While visions of Pupperoni danced in their heads.
And Mom in her ‘jammies and Christmassy socks
Fell asleep on the sofa around 12 o’clock.

When out in the barn there arose such a clatter,
Teiva sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the dog door he flew with great haste
And out to the dog yard where he busted the gate!

The moon, full and shining in the pouring down rain
Showed the path between puddles that refused to drain.
Teiva ran to the barn to get out of the mud
But slipped on the pathway and got all full of crud.

Jumping in through the door, he was lively and quick
Where he screeched to a halt, for the sight made him sick!
When, what to his wondering eyes did behold?
But 2 dozen ratties with a bundle of coal.

In mid-pack stood a large, more mature rat
Who resembled Pink Torpedo with a magical hat.
“Come in, Young Teiva, come in and settle
We must discuss things in which dogs should not mettle!”

Teiva came in and sat, looking around with big eyes
For he’d never imagined such a strange surprise.
“What do you want with me?” he asked rather gruffly
While he scratched an itch on his neck rather roughly.

“Just one night of peace – peace and good will
To the ratties that live here and help pay the bills.”
Teiva hemmed and hawed and his head, he did toss.
“One night I’ll give you, but there’ll be a cost!

“The fee is something you won’t likely quibble.
What I want is a bowl full of Oxbow rat kibble!
It smells so good and I’ll love it, I swear!
I want a bowl of my own that I don’t have to share!”

The Christmas Rat laughed and agreed it was good
And then turned the coal into a big bowl of food.
Teiva ate, went home and climbed back into bed
And stayed ‘til the morning sky turned light red.

The ratties, well they just had a great time
Eating and drinking and dancing so fine,
Celebrating Christmas the whole night through
And being with family just like me and you!

From the rats here at Splashdown! they wish you the best
And a season of cheer, joy and some rest!
Teiva got in trouble for getting the bed mucky
But the Oxbow was good, so he considers himself lucky!

From all here at Splashdown!, we send you this wish
Merry Christmas to all and may all find some bliss!
As the new year rolls ‘round we hope ‘17 will score
As the best year yet for both 2-footed and 4!

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all people, dogs, and ratties! This season, may you all find peace, good will, and a big bowl of food that you don’t have to share!

Jan, Teiva, Chili, Kielbasa (the rooster) and the hens, plus all of the ratties, especially the magical Pink Torpedo!