NERS Pet Initiative - October 2008

Ever since its conception in 2001, the NERS has been a rat club that has celebrated the rat primarily as an intelligent and engaging companion animal. We have also recognised the shared pleasure that shows and exhibitions can bring. Over the years successive NERS committees have implemented a number of innovative pet oriented initiatives which have been in keeping with the general ethos of the club.

These include:

• The current award system, which recognises pet achievements on an equal level to variety successes.
• The NERS Rescue Fund.
• The NERS Longevity Award, which promotes good breeding and husbandry.
• The pet judging guidelines and points system that have helped to standardise pet judging.
• Extra pet trophies for categories such as Condition and Rescue.
• Written emphasis in the newsletter on understanding rats and their perceptions of the world.

The committee has decided that the time is right for a formal pet initiative in order to further develop some of these innovations and to introduce others that will raise the profile and enjoyment of pet rats in the North of England and throughout the UK. This will be called the NERS Pet Initiative.

The objectives of the NERS Pet Initiative (NPI)
These encompass most of the objectives outlined in the NERS constitution:

• To uphold and encourage the fancy rat as an excellent pet and exhibition animal.
• To safeguard the interests of the fancy rat, and support the rat fancy in general.
• To advocate and champion the highest quality of rat care.
• To advance safe and reputable breeding practices.
• To encourage and maintain optimum practice in judging and show management.
• To provide help and support for rat keepers throughout the North of England and surrounding areas.

Within these objectives the NPI also has its own specific aims:

• To raise the profile of pet rat shows and give parity to pet rats where they are exhibited in terms of recognition and reward.
• To standardise the judging of pet rats.
• To promote events that encourage the rat/human relationship, such as agility and other fun events.
• To help and support groups of rat lovers around the UK who wish to hold gatherings using the NERS model.
• To promote and uphold breeding practices, which are consistent with rats being bred as pets, first and foremost.

How will the NPI work in practical terms?
It is hoped that the NPI will grow and expand, and even be embraced by other UK rat clubs. However, it is probably easiest to understand how it will work in practice by looking at our goals for the next six months. By March/April 2009 we hope to have:

• Created pet standards by which pet rats are judged.
• Established a training programme in order to train NERS Pet Judges, and enrolled the first trainees.
• Reviewed our variety and pet schedules to make them more appropriate to our shows. Changes may include:
• Shortening the variety schedule so that rather than us having many classes of one, the rats are judged in groups (e.g. selfs, marked, ticked, pointed, other varieties, new varieties). Rats in the variety classes will continue to be judged to the NFRS standards of excellence;
• Increasing the range of pet classes we offer;
• Encouraging rats to be shown in both pet and variety sections;
• Established a new committee posts for a pet initiative co-ordinator.
• Formalised regular agility events, with a standardised points system that rewards training and relationship.
• Increased the number of pet awards given at each show.
• Supported two extra events in other areas (organised by local people) that are run following the NERS model. This final goal is in response to recent requests for help from groups of rat lovers in other regions who wish to hold local events for local pet rat owners. It is hoped that these will be the first of many such events.

After six months the committee will produce a report to inform the NERS membership of how the NPI is progressing, and this will be printed in Rattitude. In the meantime, the whole initiative is currently still in the planning stages and we would encourage members to contact us with any thoughts or suggestions.