On the night of July 4, Elias Schewel and his dog, Sundrop, rummaged around a trash-ridden street corner on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
In a flash, five rats darted out from under garbage bags, and Sundrop emerged with one still squirming in his mouth.
“Good boy,” Mr. Schewel said as the dog placed the catch at his feet before dashing off in pursuit of another. Mr. Schewel stomped on the rat’s head to finish the job.