252 On Sheep-killing Dogs, 



temper, Avho have not the vice of sheep-killing. — 

 They should be at once chastised, checked and watch- 

 ed; as it may lead to vicious habits.* But I have 

 known dogs worry, and even bite sheep, as they would 

 tresspassing hogs, or cattle, who are not to be number- 

 ed among the blood-sucking (for this is the test) gang 

 of sheep-killers. 



A great number of my friends, through life, having 

 been sportsmen^ I would very unwillingly offend those 

 who occasionally devote diemselves to the amusements 

 of the field. I have never disregarded the old saying — 

 "love me, love my dog." — But truth compels me to say, 

 that I have found among sporting-dogs, some of the 

 w^orst enemies to sheep. Hounds are the most atrocious; 

 and some pointers, spaniels and other water dogs — bad. 

 I join in detesting curs and mongrels, they benig pro- 

 verbially vagrants and sheep- killers. 



How to regulate the keeping of dogs, so as not to les- 

 sen their benefits, while we are correcting their abuses, 

 is a difficult task. In Great Britain, their varieties of 

 dogs exactly equal in number that of their varieties of 

 sheep ; yet, I believe, fewer hijuries occur from dogs ; 

 owing to a strong sense of the value of sheep induc- 

 ing more care, and more strict attention to the execu- 



^ A young dog, having wantonly bitten and mangled a 

 large lamb, so that it died, was muzzled by one of my ser- 

 vants, and tied to the dead lamb, for a day and a night, and 

 severely beaten. He was entirely cured of his propensity 

 for chasing sheep j and would never afterwards approach 



them. 



R. P. 



