No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 871 



But the trouble in our section of the State is, that we can't find the 

 owner of the dog. I have been a Justice of the Peace for a number 

 of years, and I have known fifteen cases where they never reported 

 the owner of the dog. We have talked with the people, but we have 

 never found the dog that did the damage. 



MR. BLYHOLDER: There is another phase to this question, to 

 which this gentleman has just referred, and that is, to find the 

 owner of the dog. I know that in the section of country from which 

 I come the same trouble exists, to find the owner of the dog. The 

 assessor comes along, and sees the dog, and he says "whose dog is 

 that?" and the man says "I don't know who he belongs to," and that 

 is the way in every house in the village. Now, I think the assessor 

 should furnish a tag to every owner of a dog, and every dog found 

 without a tag should be killed. 



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The SECRETARY: Should not that be the tax collector? 



MR. BLYHOLDER: I also had a^ood many sheep killed by a dog, 

 and the dog was never found. Now% I think the assessor should 

 furnish the tag, and the owner be compelled to put it on in the 

 presence of the assessor, and whenever a dog is found that has no 

 tag on, he should be killed at once, right then and there. You know, 

 ill our district the tax collector does not come around any more; 

 the tax is brought to him; so I don't see how he could do it. It 

 seems to me that the assessor is the one who should do it, and he 

 should furnish the tag, and have it put on in his presence, and 

 every dog that is found without a tag should be killed at once. I 

 had a very excellent sheep farm up to three years ago, but I had to 

 sell off the farm and the sheep. The dogs made it simply impossible 

 for me to keep them. 



MR. BOND: Finding the owner by the dog; what good will that 

 do, if you can't find the dog? I have a way of finding the dog and 

 the owner; I know the dog, and then I catch him, and find the label. 

 I have two on my hands now. 



The CHAIRMAN: It seems to me we should not discriminate 

 in favor of the dog. I have a horse, and I must take care of him; 

 I am not supposed to let him roam around all over my neighbor's 

 property. Why, a dog has more privileges than you or I have. If 

 I go on my neighbor's property, I make myself liable to an action 

 for trespass. If a man wants to keep a dog, let him keep him in, 

 and not allow him to run around, biting people and stock. 



MR. CLARK: I think I can agree with both Brother Bond about 

 identifying the dog, and with Brother Blyholder about identifying 

 the tag. 



MR. HUTCHISON: There is a gentleman here from York State; 

 they have a local law there in his county, on which I would like to 

 hear from him. 



MR. VAN ALSTYNE: I did not want to get into this discussion, 

 although I have been an interested listener to it. We have a local 

 law, that is just going into effect, and it requires that during t!iii 



