The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-04-15
METROPOLITAN DOGS.
The Cause Of Hydrophobia- Thou.
sand Dogs Loose in the sueets-The Dog Days
and What May Be Expected When They
come-Will the Pounds Be Opened This
Summer '-Bergh's Philanthropy.

The alarming increase OF the family Of Cantdte
the proximity OF warm weather and the numerous
cases Of hydrophobia which of late have been
brought to light are sufficient to interest the public
In dogs, more especially metropolitan dogs, which
have, since the phanthropic Bergh ordained that
they should not be killed Off, commiXed and bred to
an extent that Is alarming well as astonishing
But before dealing with metropolitan ours 1t may
be well to glance at the history of the ANIMAL which,
of all animals Is the most interesting
The exact date of the domestication OF the dog Is
not known, but the first mention of him is found in
THE BOOKS OF MOSES.
in which the great patriarch speaks Of them with
that contempt with which they are yet regarded by
the nations OF Southern ASIA Another proof OF the
early domesticatlOn of the dog Is found In the fact
that the hierogyphics of Egypt bear representations
of the dog while other nations of antiquity believed
the dog to have been invested with supernatural
powers, and attested their reverence for the animal
by the place they assigned its image as embematic
OF the attributes they claimed for their gods Per-
haps one OF the most interesting chapters OF
natural history Is that assigned TO dogs, their
manner, &c. The bravery and fidelity Of the ami
NAL have supplied food for volume upon volume
OF anecdote, while the large share he has i'll the
affections OF must be attributed to his useful
ness and intelligence.
CUvIER
says that "the dog is the most complete, the most
singular ana the most useful conquest made
by man." ana when this fact Is duly considered it
cannot well be denied He is most valuable to the
savage as beast OF draught and lie has been used,
not long since, as beast OF burden IN many OF the
European nations The system OF dog draught has
OF late years greatly decreased, and it is owing TO
this perhaps, that the animal is not as much valued
as he was OF yore.
The most simple and vet the most pathetic story
OF dogs fidelity and intelligence is that
TOLD BY HOMER
OF Ulysses dogs dying recognition or his long lost
master, while modern writers abound in numerous
illusions ard anecdotes OF the animals fidelity,
bravery and uninteresled friendship. Byron wrote
his dogs epitaph, which has affected many, and
Dickens has mmortalized Dogenes and Jip.
Besides these dogs OF fiction there are many
whose fame Is founded on deeds done. The famous
dog OF Montargis discovered the man who muir
dered his master In the forest OF Bondy, and the
Mount st. Bernard dog Barry saved upwards of
dogs OF this description there would be no
occasion for alarm, and were they in the
same abundance as mongrel ours are we
might dispense with part OF our police force
ana have the work wen done. But no; one must,
instead of feeling secure In the company OF a noble
dog be the Qttt CiCe lest the animal which has
the name OF being protection bite him. Persons
living in certain districts of the city not rid of
the ANNOYANCE OF these ours even when In their
own houses; they must patiently listen to the mid
night serenades Of these legions of Cars, whose
mantle emotions find vent in sonor0us howls when
ever the moon is to be seen.
Nor do they bay the moon alone but every one
who passes along the street-man, woman or
child-seems TO be focus of attraction for these
noisy ours to vent their vocal spleen on. Persons
living in certain parts OF the city and who hardly
ever see dog will be indisposed TO believe this
statement and that they may see for them
selves certain districts OF the city will
hereafter be mentioned. There are others
whose wives have come home from shopping
minus nOunce or two, having lost them
in the nighborhood in which they live, and
who themselves have had rightangle rents made
in their broadcoth pants, who have believed there
was too much dog" IN town before they read this.
However, for those who are in blissful ignorance Of
the eXstance OF these swarms of ours, and who
think 1t Is not folly To be wise, the following dis
tricts are named, that they may go and see for
themselves not however, without their six
shooter, as a respectable garb is sufficient to war
ant an attack from the dogs born and living in
these several Golgothas OF responsibility and re-
finement.
and 10th streets, running from Tenth avenue to
the Hudson, there is settlement Of shantes, about
doubt one of the greatest dog kennels in the city,
the ratio of dogs to shanties Is as three TO
From this it will be seen that there are no less than
two thousand seven hundred dogs in this place. If
they were kept within the periphery OF the settle
ment one might not care how many there were I;
but they are allowed to prowl around the streets
quest of food, which their hungry eyes sometimes
see in the leg OF "a man s pants.
ON the east side of the city, from Seventy-hfh
street down to Jones' Wood and bounded by First
avenue and the East River, there Is another dog
farm, second only to the one on the west side.
town. and the dogs which bit them have not been
found or killed C1fnis cdnis raOidi-a hair OF the
dog that bit you--is one of the most popular deu-
SONS in reference TO dogs, and the killing OF dog
that has bitten one VIII have no immediate or con-
sequent effect on the person bitten. But, leaving
This aside prevention is better than cure, and these
dogs should be killed Off to prevent them from
biting any else Last but not least l2Sth street
is mentioned. This dogs home volnits out swarms
Of ours upon the streets and avenues OF Harem but
the police are trying to thin them out by shooting
them every opportunity they get. These, however
are very few, and II would take an age to exterm-
nate them.
Now that the csnicular days are near at hand the
municipal authorities should do something to pre-
vent these ours from running loose III the Streets
endangering the lives OF the people. The danger OF
letting dogs at large unmuzZled has been
practically illustrated in Brooklyn, and If the
municipal authorities would, instead OF listening
TO the fanatical Bergh, pay attention TO the les
SONS which teach the necessity OF killing of these
dogs TO preserve human life, they would take pat
tern after the authorities OF Detroit, who a few
days ago, ordered 1900 dogs to be drowned. New
York well afford to lose 1900 ours, which, when
taken from her population OF $4,000, would be but
small number and were IL done every second year
or were the pounds opened again, the population
Of dogs would decrease in double-quick time. Let
The old reward be put on every dog found in the
street without maZzle and less viii be heard OF
hydrophobia and one can walk the street in safety