No Rat Terriers listed on LocalPetFinder right now
That just means none are on the site at the moment, not that the breed is unavailable. New listings arrive from rescues and local owners all the time. Be first in line, or help one find a home.
Have a dog to rehome?
Rehoming a Rat Terrier in St. John's?
List your dog free. Local adopters browsing St. John's see owner listings first: no shelter, no fees, you choose the home.
List your pet free →Takes 3 minutes. You stay in control of who adopts.
Not seeing one yet?
Get notified when a Rat Terrier is listed in St. John's
We'll email you the moment a Rat Terrier is listed in St. John's on LocalPetFinder, from a rescue or an owner rehoming.
One email when there's a match. Unsubscribe anytime.
For rescues & shelters
Are you a St. John's-area rescue? List your adoptable dogs free.
Free shelter account: your dogs appear here and across LocalPetFinder, with analytics and adoption applications included.
Rat Terriers in St. John's, right now
We aren't tracking any adoptable Rat Terriers in or near St. John's at the moment. Listings update regularly as Newfoundland rescues take in new dogs, and a Rat Terrier in St. John's typically gets adopted within days of being posted. Browse the full Newfoundland dogs list to see Rat Terriers in other Newfoundland cities, or save this page and check back soon.
See every adoptable Rat Terrier across Newfoundland and Labrador →
Adopting a Rat Terrier in Newfoundland
Rat Terriers appear in Newfoundland rescue occasionally, often through transport from the mainland or the United States where the breed is common on farms. They are compact, hardy working terriers, and they are considerably more biddable than most of the terrier group.
A terrier that actually listens
Rat Terriers were bred as farm dogs to control vermin and they retain high prey drive and real energy, but they are noticeably more trainable and people-oriented than many terriers. They need an hour or so of exercise plus mental stimulation, and scent games suit them particularly well.
The prey drive is the caveat. Households with cats or small animals need the individual dog assessed rather than assumed, and recall is unreliable when something small moves, so a long line is the sensible approach in open ground. They also dig.
Hardy, but thin-coated
This is a healthy breed with a long life expectancy, commonly fifteen years or more, and fewer structural problems than most small dogs. Ask about patellas, about Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, and about eyes. Deafness occurs in dogs with a lot of white, so ask what the rescue has observed.
The coat is very short and single with little insulation, so a waterproof insulated layer is needed and outings should be shorter in wind and driving rain. They are alert barkers, though generally less relentless than a Jack Russell.
What adopting a dog in Newfoundland actually involves
Newfoundland rescue runs through a small number of organisations, led by St. John’s Humane Services and foster-based groups such as Beagle Paws, plus community networks that move dogs in from outport communities and from Labrador. Inventory is small and it moves, so an alert is far more practical than checking listings, and popular breeds are often spoken for within days of appearing.
Two things are genuinely different here. Specialist veterinary care means the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown for most of Atlantic Canada, which from the island is a drive plus a ferry or a flight rather than a cross-town trip, so a condition needing a specialist is a logistics problem as well as a medical one. And the weather is harder on dogs than the temperature suggests: Atlantic wind, salt air and long stretches of rain, drizzle and fog soak a coat in a way dry cold does not, and coastal salt gets into paws and skin folds year round.
Looking more broadly? Browse every adoptable dog across the province on Dog Adoption Newfoundland and Labrador.
The rescues that most often list Rat Terriers across Newfoundland are St. John's Humane Services, and Beagle Paws. For breed-specific background, the Canadian Kennel Club is a useful reference.
Rat Terrier Adoption FAQ — St. John's
How many Rat Terriers are available for adoption in St. John's?
As of September 2026, there are no Rat Terriers listed in St. John's rescue on LocalPetFinder right now — Rat Terriers are among the rarer dogs in local rescue. Inventory turns over quickly, so setting an alert is the most reliable way to catch one, or consider an adoptable Rat Terrier mix.
Where can I adopt a Rat Terrier near me in Newfoundland?
LocalPetFinder gathers adoptable Rat Terriers from the Newfoundland organisations we track, including St. John’s Humane Services and Beagle Paws, into one list. Island inventory is small and turns over quickly, so setting an alert is more practical than checking repeatedly, and it is worth widening your search to crosses rather than holding out for a purebred.
Are Rat Terriers easier than Jack Russells?
Generally yes, and it is the most useful comparison to make. Both are high-drive working terriers with real energy and prey drive, but Rat Terriers tend to be more biddable and more people-oriented, where a Jack Russell is famously independent and persistent. Neither is a low-effort small dog, but the Rat Terrier is the more realistic first terrier.
How long do Rat Terriers live?
Unusually long for a dog, commonly fifteen years or more, and the breed carries fewer of the structural problems that burden many small dogs. Worth asking about are patellas, Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease affecting the hip joint, and eye conditions. Deafness occurs in dogs carrying a lot of white.
How much does it cost to adopt a Rat Terrier in St. John's?
Adopting a Rat Terrier in St. John's typically costs $300 to $600, and puppies usually carry a premium at $500 to $900. The exact fee varies by rescue, and older dogs are often reduced. That fee is not a purchase price. It covers work already done on the dog: spay or neuter, vaccinations, deworming, microchip, and a basic vet workup, which would cost several hundred dollars more if you arranged it yourself after buying. Buying the same breed from a registered breeder generally runs well over $1,000, usually with a waitlist. Ask the rescue what is included before you apply, since a few include extras like a starter bag of food or a first-month insurance trial.
Are these Rat Terriers for sale in St. John's?
Not for sale, for adoption, which is usually the better deal. Every Rat Terrier here comes from a St. John's rescue or shelter, not a breeder, pet store, or classified seller. Adoption fees are typically $300 to $600, with puppies at $500 to $900 and already include vaccinations, deworming, microchip and spay or neuter when age-appropriate, versus roughly $2,000 to $5,000 or more to buy a Rat Terrier from a breeder. If you searched "rat terrier for sale st. john's" or "rat terrier puppies for sale," adopting gets you a healthy, vetted dog for a fraction of the price.
Where can I buy a Rat Terrier in St. John's, and should I?
You can buy from a registered breeder, but it is worth weighing against adoption first. A reputable Rat Terrier breeder typically charges $2,000 to $5,000 or more and often has a waitlist, while a rescue Rat Terrier costs $300 to $600, with puppies at $500 to $900 fully vetted and may be available now. Be cautious of cheap rat terrier-for-sale ads on classified sites and marketplaces, which are frequently backyard breeders or puppy-mill resellers with unvetted, sometimes sick animals and no health guarantee. If you do buy, insist on seeing where the puppies were raised and getting vet records. For most families in St. John's, adopting a rescue Rat Terrier is cheaper, faster, and gives a dog in need a home.
Are there free Rat Terriers in St. John's, or rat terriers under $500?
Adoption is the closest honest answer, and it is not free. A rescue Rat Terrier in St. John's typically costs $300 to $600, with puppies at $500 to $900, so the lower end lands under the "$500" people search for and the rest does not. What the fee buys is work already done, the vaccinations, deworming, microchip and spay or neuter, which would cost more than the fee itself if you arranged it yourself, and it is still far below breeder prices. Be wary of genuinely free rat terrier listings. An animal advertised free to a good home has usually not been vetted, and free rehoming ads are the route flippers and unregistered breeders use to move animals with no health guarantee and no recourse. Paying a rescue fee buys you a dog someone has already examined, treated, and been honest with you about.
Are there Rat Terrier puppies in St. John's, or only adults?
Both, but adults far outnumber puppies, and it is worth knowing that before you start looking. Most Rat Terriers arriving in St. John's rescue are adolescents and adults, because that is the age at which first homes tend to give up. Puppies do come through, usually as accidental litters or with a surrendered mother, and they are typically spoken for quickly. Setting an alert beats refreshing the page. It is also worth asking whether you actually want one: an adult arrives with a temperament a foster has already observed and described, where a Rat Terrier puppy is a prediction, and for this breed in particular knowing what you are getting is the more useful thing.
Where can I find a Rat Terrier near me in St. John's?
Start with the listings on this page, which pull from St. John's rescues and shelters and are refreshed regularly, so what you see is what is genuinely available rather than a stale directory. If nothing suits today, that is normal for this breed: rescue intake is intermittent rather than steady, and a breed with none listed this week often has several next month. Setting an alert beats checking back, and it is worth widening to nearby towns, since most rescues serving St. John's will adopt out across a reasonable driving distance rather than only inside one municipality.