The Founding
Happy Ratters started, like a lot of good ideas do, over lunch. In October 2016, Jean MacKenzie, Barb Burri, and Carol Thompson sat down together at the Tuckaway Tavern in New Hampshire and began talking through an idea for a brand-new kind of ratting sport for dogs. They had always loved ratting games, but as Barb puts it, they were simply "too old to move so many heavy bales of hay." Happy Ratters was the answer: all the fun and challenge, without the heavy lifting.
By the time lunch was over, the idea had legs. Barb went home that same day and registered the domain. The Happy Ratters website went live on August 15, 2017, and the first trials were held later that year.
What started as informal practice sessions at Jean's own facility, Tova Training in Raymond, New Hampshire, quickly grew into something more. Fellow competitor Dede MacLeod suggested they start formally judging the runs, and with that, Happy Ratters became a titling sport, with Dede stepping in as its first judge after Jean herself. The very first "try-it" trial was held that December at Tova Training — and in those early days, every result was recorded by hand.
Sophie: Our First Champion
Sophie, Dede MacLeod's border collie, holds a permanent place in Happy Ratters history. She was the very first dog to earn a Happy Ratters title — and later on, she became the first to earn the Extraordinaire title.
Sophie has since passed, but her legacy lives on in every dog that titles after her. As the sport's first champion, she'll always hold a special place in the Happy Ratters story.