I was born and raised with a large family in South Carolina, where hunting was a way of life for many people, supplying meat for the family. The South is also well known for its Mountain Feists, Treeing Feists and well, Feists in general. This is the original farm and homestead dog of colonial and pioneer America and has its roots in terrier dogs from the Europe. These dogs are still well loved and are used for hunting squirrels and other varmints all over the South and Appalachian states. The dogs I owned as a kid were likely Feist mixes from the shelter and I did not hunt with dogs except as a kid hunts squirrels in the neighborhood with a pellet rifle.
A life changing move to California eventually landed me on a variety of farms, and being involved with agriculture and gardening. A hobby my mother encouraged as a child, this hobby grew into a full love of chickens and all types of poultry. It was the poultry and its vermin and varmit connections that eventually developed to my love affair with terriers, and my devoted confrontations with rats. The mild climate of affluent northern CA is an excellent breeding ground for the Norway rat. The lack of public space, and dog friendly areas make big game hunting hard with money to lease hunting rights. This and marijuana production kept me on farms and out of the woods during the fall dear season. While I might have never imagined what a working rat pack was in motion, I can now say that I fully embrace the challenges and foe I have chosen, and the characters and friends I meet along the way.