ELECTRIC RATS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6630, 8 June 1928, Page 2

ELECTRIC RATS

RACES FOB TERRIERS. A NEW LONDON SPORT. London's latest sport, fox terrier racing—in which tho quarry is an electric rat—made it? debut at tho Stadium Club, High Holborn, a few weeks ago. A “drawing room’’ version of greyhound racing, the now sport lacks the spectacular qualities of most other forms of racing, but there is ample compensation that it may be watched from an armchair. ..Tirol terrier’s, indignant yapping, their vigorous wagging tails, and their comic skidding at the corners of the track introduced a new note into racing, and their eagerness to fight among themselves when the rat- has gone to earth is almost as good as the race itself. " “ _- The 75 yards oval track was laid out round tho boxing ring in the club’s main hall, and consisted of a green floor cloth- with wire netting on either side, the electrically propelled stuffed rat being suspended a few inches from the floor and given a slightly vibrating movement as it speeds round. The quarry is run. slowly round the track once to, give the dogs a good view of it, and its appearance, and still more its disappearance, is greeted with a tremendous outburst of yapping. On its 'second tiriic^ - round the terriers arc slipped. Two rounds of tho track constitute the distance, and as soon as the winning post has been passed attendants catch those dogs which have not already stopped to settle . their own little arguments. From start to finish each race was over in about a-third of a minute, the fastest time being ISsco., which works out at about 17 miles an hour. Racing is private and confined to members. All dogs entered have to undergo a fortnight’s probation. It is intended to have two meetings a week, with hurdle as well as flat races.