Rats Flattened By Hoboken Pup Patrol On A Mission

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken's rat problem is going to the dogs.

Experts have given various reasons for unprecedented rat surges in cities since the COVID-19 pandemic, but no matter the reasons, residents are fed up.

In Hoboken, one councilwoman has called in the pup patrol.

The city has so far paid $125,000 for contracts with exterminators, and has placed door hangers around town (see photo below) to increase awareness of proper trash disposal. But residents are still posting rat photos on social media, along with warnings about certain parts of town.

"We have been working hard to address what has been a recent rat surge on 15th street," said Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher in her newsletter last week, noting that she asked a New York City group of volunteers to come in to help hunt the rats, using their small terriers.

"Initially, dozens were seen near an exposed trash area behind 1500 Garden, and now they have also migrated to other areas along 15th, mainly near accessible food sources," Fisher said.

She added, "We are lucky that all but one of the high rises on 15th are managed by the same management company so we have been able to coordinate efforts across the buildings and with the city’s departments of environmental services and health and human services to make necessary changes to extermination efforts and trash storage."

Rats were also seen on lower Garden Street, where someone hung “RATS" signs on a tree with a noticeable hole at its base.

And one Hoboken resident wrote of seeing a rat inside a CVS location earlier this month.

"Cities across the U.S. have recently seen an increase in rodents and reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior," wrote the city on its rat page. "The visibility of rodents increased during and after the pandemic for a variety of reasons ... The city, residents, businesses, utility companies, and private contractors must all work together to implement rodent control practices."

Rats carry 35 diseases, the CDC says, so the situation is no small matter.

Council Proposal

At a special meeting next week, the City Council will consider amendments to an ordinance that will "allow the city to expedite rodent bating on private property," said a city spokesperson.

"Currently, health inspectors notify a property owner that their property requires rodent baiting or pest control services, and the property owner has 14 days," she noted. The amendment will reduce this to seven days, and require reimbursement if the city has to do it instead.

The city is also examining new methods of containerizing trash.

Rat Terriers

Councilwoman Fisher noted, "We are employing every method possible to reduce the rats, including with the referral by a friend and neighbor, bringing in an experienced group who have dogs (mainly small terriers) trained to kill rats. They refer to themselves as R.A.T.S and have done this for almost three decades, most notably and recently in NYC. They have now come to Hoboken three times, focused primarily on 15th Street. But last week I directed them to the 300 Block of park, another hotspot, where they killed a few more."

You can see the flattened rats if you click this Facebook link.

Fisher said, "I know that the city's directors and their teams are working hard to fight this battle," adding that neighbors have offered ideas like increasing trash pickup operations and levying fines.

Her recent community survey about rats — which can still be filled out — garnered 400 responses so far, including people pointing to "seven or eight" of the same rat hotspots around town.

And she had some promising news in a recent rat update for her neighborhood: "We are just starting to hear a few whispers that it is not as bad as it once was."

Better whispers than whiskers, perhaps.

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