The Decker Rat Terrier

The man showed up with the largest Rat Terrier I had ever seen.  This dog was Briscoe County Drifter, or “Mack” as he was called.  Mack was bred by Tim Brown in Lewistown, PA.  He was a 100% Decker Giant Rat Terrier.  There was something different about Mack. I had never seen a dog quite like him.  He had the pride of a gamecock; the musculature of a pit bull terrier; and he carried himself like royalty.  I would later learn that these traits are the trademarks of the Decker Rat Terrier.He was a tightly built dog with a lot of muscle.  He had very short hair.  The black in his coated appeared as though it was painted on.  He had erect ears with a very serious expression.  Most importantly, he had the gritty hunting instincts that these dogs were bred to have!I was amazed at the overall impression of quality that Mack emitted.  He had two scars on his face from fighting with other dogs.  He had a tendency to challenge and try to dominate any other dog he met.  This would later prove to be his downfall.On Christmas day 1996, Mack dug into the pen of our pet Rottweiler.  He immediately began posturing.  The Rottweiler ignored this for the most part.  I noticed that Mack was in the pen with the much bigger dog and went to separate the two.  As I walked up to the gate,