Ingrid, the labradoodle, is on high-alert during our evening dog walks now. She’s not worried about potential muggers or prowlers, but instead focused on hunting rats.
One unexpected challenge of walking the dogs in Chinatown is the massive rat population in our neighborhood. The parks are filled with rat burrows and the prancing creatures are a big distraction for Ingrid.
I first realized that D.C. has a rat problem one night when we decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway behind several restaurants near Logan Circle. The alleyway was crawling with rodents that were completely unfazed by our presence. The rats darted from corners and swung from trashcans.
It was the wrong type of party to be at.
I was so mortified that I just stood in the alleyway laughing. Michael was less amused and quickly got to the street.
Rats became normal …on the weekends.
Rats are just a part of going out in D.C. — Most of the city’s busy restaurant/bar districts have mounds of trash and open dumpsters that become a rodent buffet after midnight. However, seeing rats on the weekends before we moved to D.C. did not prepare me for my new daily reality of rodent-headlining evening dog walks.
Minneapolis provided me with many close encounters with mice, and I even noticed a few mice on our building’s property in Dallas — but I got completely spoiled by the rodent-free life in Pentagon City. The District is not only crawling with rats, but complaints are at an all-time high and rats are even causing building evacuations.
Ingrid finds the rats completely fascinating. I’m just hoping that the day never comes when she actually catches one. 🐀
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