Earthdogs
Pippa waiting to be released for her run
My husband proposed that we drive down on a Sunday to see an Earthdog competition. I thought I’d heard him wrong. “You mean Earth Day exhibition?” I’d gone to the very first Earth Day event in 1970, and remembered how New York City police on horseback intimidated the 100,000 who’d gathered in Union Square that April day to raise awareness of environmental issues.
But no. He was referring to Earthdogs, a concept that dates back to medieval Europe and the beginnings of small game hunting with the help of Dachshunds and terriers. Vermin, including woodchucks, gophers, and rats damage and destroy precious crops, spread diseases to livestock and humans, and burrow into dens below ground, making them hard to catch. Solution: breed small, flexible dogs capable of pursuing prey through tunnels, and using their front paws and jaws to capture the varmints. We’re talking subterranean warfare!
Our puppy, Muddle, is a Border Terrier whose breed originated where England and Scotland abut. I knew that farmers used Borders to hunt foxes who preyed on livestock. But killing vermin? That was news to me. Good thing we no longer have a guinea pig – it wouldn’t stand a chance with Muddle in the house.
Fast forward hundreds of years, and what was once a farming necessity has become a sport. With rules. Starting in the United States in 1994, Dachshunds and fourteen types of terriers who are registered with the American Kennel Club and are at least six months old may compete in Earthdog trials. No mixed breeds allowed.
About half an hour south of Olympia, WA, in rural Rochester, Curtis Lake, of the Puget Sound Earthdog Club, converted one of his horse fields into dens, underground tunnels of varying lengths and complexity for different levels of competition. At the end of each human-made tunnel, two rats are kept in a protective cage. They are “the quarry.” The tunnel entrance is marked with “rat tea,” a blend of rat urine dissolved in rat feces that stimulates the dog’s senses (sorry, no scones). The tea scent leads a dog to the rats’ location, where the dog “works” the quarry by barking, scratching, pawing, digging around the cage, and staring down the rats. The dogs are timed – how long did it take to locate the rats? How long did they work the quarry – a minute, or longer? How many turns were there in the tunnel, and did the dog avoid the false exit and go directly to the quarry? This whole process is called “going to ground.”
The simplest tunnels are 10 feet long (3 meters) with a single right-angle turn. They increase in length to 30 feet (9.1 meters), have three right-angle turns, and are completely dark. Earthdogs must continue “working” the quarry for 90 seconds, then, exit the tunnel within 90 seconds when called by their handler. Handlers retrieve their dogs and the judge removes the caged rats through a hatch at the end. The rats are given a rest, treated to blueberry yogurt and grapes, and another pair is inserted for the next dog.
When we arrived at Lake’s farm, other friendly dog owners pointed us towards a pasture where Muddle’s breeder, Tim Carey, was judging a trial. Scanning the field, I couldn’t see him. Finally, I spotted Tim’s red hat. He was low on the ground, sitting by the tunnel’s hatch, camouflaged behind tall grasses. Lifting the hatch lid, he revealed three thick wooden dowels separating the dogs from the chamber with the quarry. The rats seemed unruffled by all the commotion. Just another day at the office…
I asked Lake, “What type of person gets involved in this sport?”
“It runs the gamut from as young as 6 to people in their 80s, and from every walk of life, he replied. “Dog lovers who want to do fun stuff with their dogs… This is a true test of your terrier because this is what they’re bred to do.”
If this appeals to you, the Puget Sound Earthdog Club website has Save the Dates for upcoming events https://psec-earthdog.org/, most of which take place in southern Washington. But Lake has a warning. “Grouchy people – don’t waste your time. You’ll be forced to talk with other people and have fun.”
Earthdog going to ground
Muddle, by Mindy Stern
Meanderings is a travel column by Mindy Stern, a Mercer Island resident. For more essays, or to comment, visit her website www.mindysternauthor.com