The story of the Pied Piper goes like this: The residents of Hamelin had a rat problem, and hired the Pied Piper and his magical flute to get rid of them. Once the town was cleared of rats, the residents refused to pay for the service, and so the Piper returned with his flute. As he played, the children of the town followed and were never seen again. The story serves as a cautionary tale to always pay the fees that you owe, especially to our exterminators who help keep our communities clean and pest-free. Appreciate the rat catchers of your neighbourhood today!

National Rat Catcher's Day on July 22nd commemorates the story of the Pied Piper, but also pays homage to all our modern day exterminators.

We were unable to find the origins of this national day, though the dates are sometimes confused. Rat catcher's day is sometimes celebrated on June 26, the date cited by the Brothers Grimm in the story of the Pied Piper. However, the poem by Robert Browning uses the date of July 22nd.