208 transactions of the american institute. 



Dogs and Dog-Laws. 



Mr. Solon E-obinson. — I urge the Club to call the attention of the present 

 Legislature to the necessity of an amendment to the dog-law of this State. 

 H. P. Fitch, Oswego county, N. Y., in a letter to The Coiinlry Gentleman, 

 Bays: "There are more sheep killed by dogs in the State of New York 

 every year than the whole race on earth is worth. There are farmers of 

 my acquaintance who have for the last fifteen years lost on an average 

 annually ten per cent of their flocks by dogs, and still the evil is allowed 

 to continue. 



"We have a dog-law, such as it is, levying a tax of fifty cents per head, 

 and making it the duty of the collector to kill all dogs on which the tax is 

 not paid; but it has never come to my knowledge of the first dog being 

 killed by said collector in default of collecting the tax, and it is notorious 

 that a large percentage of dogs escape both the tax and the penalty. 



"What we want is a law similar to the ^fassachusetts dog-law, and 

 then if people wish to enjoy the luxury of keeping dogs, they can do so by 

 complying with the requirements of the law." 



Tiie dog-law of Massachusetts provides that every owner or keeper of a 

 dog shall annually, on or before tl;e first of May, cause it to be registered, 

 numbered, described and licensed, in the office of the clerk of the city or 

 town wherein he resides, and shall cause it to wear a neck collar distinctly 

 marked with its owner's name and registered number, for which license he 

 is to pay $1 for a male dog and S5 for a female dog. Any person keeping 

 a dog, not thus licensed, registered and marked, is subject to a penalty of 

 $10; and it is made the duty of every police officer and constable to kill all 

 dogs running at large, not thus registered and marked, for which they are 

 to be paid, by the city or town, fifty cents for each dog so destroyed by 

 them. There are various other provisions, but these are the ones which 

 give the law its effective power. 



The Chairman. — There is a similar law in Connecticut. I found last 

 summer, in moving to my country residence at Norwalk, tliat to keep a 

 small rat terrier which I took up with me, it was necessary to take out a 

 license and paj'^ a tax of one dollar. 



Mr. Carpenter. — If it were not for dogs the rough lands of Westchester 

 counly might be stocked with sheep, where they are almost valueless for 

 any other purpose. As it is now, not one farmer in a thousand in that 

 county can keep sheep profitably. I tried to establish a flock, but lost 

 nearl}^ half of it in one night. The dogs, not satisfied with the first attack, 

 made a second one, killing and wounding most of the remainder. For his 

 part, he was quite discouraged, and so were all his neighbors. At the 

 suggestion of the Chairman, Mr. Piobinson moved a resolution, which was 

 unanimously adopted, asking all agricultural societies and farmers' clubs 

 in the State, and all influential farmers, to make a strong appeal to the 

 Legislature, at the present session, to have the dog-law of this State 

 amended so as to conform to the law in force in Massachusetts and Con- 

 necticut. 



Dr. Trimble urged the consideration of the fact that the owners of sheep- 



iiu g dogs arc generally the most worthless persons in community. Any 



