One mans rat race: Adventures of a Vancouver Island rat-catcher

VICTORIA - Christmas is almost here. And at Chez Chamberlain, our seasonal surprise came disconcertingly early.

It wasnt the traditional box of Turtles or Laphroaig single malt. No, it was the pitter-patter of tiny feet coming from the ceiling.

Which means the rats are back.

This is depressing, as wed been rat-free for a dozen years. So we called Kevin Davie of Pest Tech, the pest-control technician who had solved our previous problem. Davie not only sets traps, he possesses the uncanny ability to find the entryways of rats into houses, which he seals.

After meeting him, my wife told me Davie plans to write a book about his pest-control adventures. It occurred to me that this man a 51-year-old with three decades in the field must be chock-full of tales of the ratty variety.

He was. And as a special treat, dear reader, Ill share a few.

A few Christmases back, Davie had come off a serious rat-killing jag. Hed eliminated a record 66 rats in the same house over three weeks. These bodies as well as other rat corpses were inside an enormous bag in the back of his van.

The problem was, one cant just deposit a Santa-sized sack o rats at the dump. The dump people dont like that. So Davie was pleased when friends offered their Metchosin property for this very purpose. They overlook a cliff thats covered in brambles. The perfect spot.

He arrived with his giant bag of rats and a long-handled reacher.

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One mans rat race: Adventures of a Vancouver Island rat-catcher