Citizen complaint of the day: A city bursting at the seams with rats

Based on complaints pouring into Boston's 311 system, we are a city overrun by rats, giant ones, spilling out of holes, shrubs and people's toilets, roaming the streets like they own the joint. Case in point, a complaint from Athens Street in South Boston:

Rats the size of small dogs down here. Please help!!!! There is a posse of them strolling the Lower End like they were here before the yuppies. I'm pretty sure one of them had a knife in his socks. Send help!!!!

Brook Avenue in Roxbury is also having issues with rodents of unusual size:

It's so bad I don't even want to let my puppy go outside. These rats are the size of bunnies and cats. This is becoming a health issue here.

A resident of Shannon Street in Brighton filed a plea for help:

There are rats going through our sidewalks, streets and yards day and night. I have reported this before, as have my neighbors and we got pamphlets about pest control left on our doors. This problem extends is over blocks and streets. We've never seen it like this and believe it is in direct relation to all the construction in the area. Our children play outside and are screaming from the rats constantly running by. This is unsafe! Please help

Down by the Joyce Kilmer Lower School in West Roxbury, a resident reports:

Rats everywhere, under cars under porch running across the road on the sidewalk there are babies adults tons of rats in this neighborhood

Meanwhile, from Hancock Street on Beacon Hill comes a disturbing report:

Constituent reports that she has noticed rats around the yard and property, and they started to come thru the sewer to the toliet.