Ca Rater Mallorquí

The Ca Rater Mallorquí or Spanish: Ratonero mallorquín is a Spanish breed of dog of ratter or warren hound type, found on the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands.^[2][3]

Ca Rater Mallorquí
Other names	Ratonero Mallorquín
Origin	Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain)
Traits Height Males 32–36 cm (13–14 in) Females 29–33 cm (11–13 in) Weight Males 3.5–5 kg (8–11 lb) Females 3–4 kg (7–9 lb) Coat short Colour black-and-tan, brown-and-tan, sometimes white patches or tri-colour
Kennel club standards Govern Illes Balears standard Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación standard
Notes	Recognised by the Govern Illes Balears in 2002[1]: 23307  Recognised in national Spanish legislation in 2004[2]: 13433
Dog (domestic dog)

History

The origins of the Ca Rater Mallorquí are unclear, with no documentary evidence before the second half of the nineteenth century.^[3]: 518 The dogs show considerable similarity to those of the Gos Rater Valencià breed of the autonomous community of Valencia, in mainland Spain. Valencian rice-farmers arrived in Mallorca in 1901 to work in the wetlands of the Albufera de Muro, and some sources cite this as a possible explanation for the similarity.^{[3]: 518 [4]} It has also been suggested that there may have been some infusion of English terrier blood in the history of the breed.^[3]: 518

A breed society – the Club Espanyol del Ca Rater Mallorquí – was established in 1990, and registrations were begun.^[5] The Ca Rater was officially recognised by the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in 2002, with the establishment of a stud-book and the publication of the breed standard in the Butlletí Oficial de les Illes Balears, the government gazette of the islands.^[1][5] In 2004 it received full national recognition when the breed standard was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado – the official journal of the government of Spain – and the breed society was authorised to maintain the stud-book.^[2][5]

Use

The Ca Rater Mallorquí is used on the island of Mallorca to hunt both rats and rabbits.^[2][3] It is a good watchdog, and a good companion animal.^[6]