139 



The speaker said he loved a good dog, kept one, and always in- 

 tended to, and questioned that man's devotion to wife and chil- 

 dren who hates a good dog. 



In all ages, at all times, and among all people, the dog has 

 been regarded as a beast of burden, a servant, a companion, a 

 friend, and one of the most useful of animals — but keep them 

 where they belong, at home. With the degree of intelli- 

 gence that a dog possesses, there is no reason why he should 

 not be educated to stay at home. Here in Essex County hun- 

 dreds of acres of land might be improved by sheep husbandry, 

 an important industry almost entirely broken up and destroyed 

 b} 7 dogs. Dogs should not be allowed to roam about any more 

 than horses, or cattle, or swine. They not only kill sheep, but 

 they bite and worry horses, cattle, swine and poultry; besides 

 this, they ramble over fields and gardens, breaking down and 

 destroying valuable crops, or taking an extra run the whole 

 length of a lot of hot beds, breaking glass and destroying cab- 

 bage, tomato and other valuable plants. The frightening of 

 women and children, and barking at and frightening horses at- 

 tached to carriages are favorite tricks of his, not to mention the 

 dangers of mad dogs and the horrors of hydrophobia. 



The present law is evaded more or less, and should be more 

 stringent, license cost should be increased, and a person should 

 have the privilege of killing any dog at sight found on his prem- 

 ises, unattended by a keeper, after the 10th of May. Mention 

 was made of the nuisance of men from town and city, with dogs 

 roaming over fields, tumbling down stone walls, or breaking 

 down fences, killing birds that should be allowed to live, or 

 game that the farmer wants himself. The law should include 

 the payment for injury by dogs to a man or his family when 

 bitten, as it does on his domestic animals. 



The speaker closed with these statistics of dog damages in 



Essex County during the past year : 



158 sheep and lambs killed or injured, $ 489.83 



18 heifers and calves killed or injured, 417.00 



1 mare with twin foals killed, 1200.00 



