Dumbo rats have a long and storied history. They are ancestors of the famous brown rat, which managed to oust the Black Plague-spreading black rat in from Europe. Most people aren't completely sure how the rat first entered a household setting as a pet rather than a pest. However, there are some stories that do tell of a farmer broke the ice and invited the rat inside.
Farmers worked the land to grow crops and store food to feed their families during long, cold winters. Naturally, the local rats saw this as a fantastic opportunity to snag some easy meals for themselves and their own little families. While this certainly wasn't an ideal relationship between humans and rats, it did certainly set the stage for a long-standing bond. Over time, people became more accepting of these rats and began to even see fit to domesticating them.
During the period in Europe when rats were simply overwhelming the populace, with their massive numbers, people began to find "sporting" ways of entertaining themselves with the rats. One such method was to place a large number of rats into a pit with a dog and place bets on how long it would take for the dog to kill all of the rats. While many rats owners will certainly cringe at this rather violent and unsavory sport, it did continue to foster the relationship that people would ultimately develop with their furry little friends.
Since there were so many rats in the streets, the games were initially supplied by just gathering up rats found in public places. But as the upper echelons of society decided to start participating in these games, people started breeding rats specifically for this purpose. After around 70 years of this rather terrible abuse of rats, the sport finally was ended and rats became more commonly used by scientists in labs.
This is the point were humans, having bred and therefore somewhat domesticated the rats, did actually come to see the extraordinary intelligence of the rat. And so by the early 18th century, rats had become popular pets.
In 1895, an organization called the National Mouse Club was formed. This club was founded by mouse lovers who had grown found of displaying their mice and celebrating the wondrous varieties available.
Naturally, rat lovers were interested in developing something similar. A woman named Mary Douglas actually petitioned the National Mouse Club to consider adding rats to their rodent roster as well. Fortunately, the club saw fit, changed their name to the National Mouse and Rat Club and the fancy rat was made popular to all. To this day, Mary Douglas still bears the title "Mother of the fancy rat".
After several centuries of mistreatment, bad reputations and neglect, the rat has finally fully established itself as a domestic pet. As the years go on, let's all hope that even more people realize how wonderful these amazing pets are and the fancy rat continues to gain favor with all!
Farmers worked the land to grow crops and store food to feed their families during long, cold winters. Naturally, the local rats saw this as a fantastic opportunity to snag some easy meals for themselves and their own little families. While this certainly wasn't an ideal relationship between humans and rats, it did certainly set the stage for a long-standing bond. Over time, people became more accepting of these rats and began to even see fit to domesticating them.
During the period in Europe when rats were simply overwhelming the populace, with their massive numbers, people began to find "sporting" ways of entertaining themselves with the rats. One such method was to place a large number of rats into a pit with a dog and place bets on how long it would take for the dog to kill all of the rats. While many rats owners will certainly cringe at this rather violent and unsavory sport, it did continue to foster the relationship that people would ultimately develop with their furry little friends.
Since there were so many rats in the streets, the games were initially supplied by just gathering up rats found in public places. But as the upper echelons of society decided to start participating in these games, people started breeding rats specifically for this purpose. After around 70 years of this rather terrible abuse of rats, the sport finally was ended and rats became more commonly used by scientists in labs.
This is the point were humans, having bred and therefore somewhat domesticated the rats, did actually come to see the extraordinary intelligence of the rat. And so by the early 18th century, rats had become popular pets.
In 1895, an organization called the National Mouse Club was formed. This club was founded by mouse lovers who had grown found of displaying their mice and celebrating the wondrous varieties available.
Naturally, rat lovers were interested in developing something similar. A woman named Mary Douglas actually petitioned the National Mouse Club to consider adding rats to their rodent roster as well. Fortunately, the club saw fit, changed their name to the National Mouse and Rat Club and the fancy rat was made popular to all. To this day, Mary Douglas still bears the title "Mother of the fancy rat".
After several centuries of mistreatment, bad reputations and neglect, the rat has finally fully established itself as a domestic pet. As the years go on, let's all hope that even more people realize how wonderful these amazing pets are and the fancy rat continues to gain favor with all!
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