Daily globe., 1880-08-08
Dog. Catching in New York.

Dog Catching in New York.
The dog catcher is in his glory. The
unlicensed, unmuzzled CANNES are being
led into captivity by forties and ffties, ,and
from the pound at the foot Of Sixteenth
street, East River, the wall of sorrow
goes up in howis, growls, yelps, barks
and snarls. Pound Keeper Mcmahon
smiles as recruits a-e brought in, and his
assistants, restored their autocracy, which
is theirs only by grace of the dog star.
are important in bearing and tyranical
to their four footed subjects. The catch
ers themselves, clothed with brief au.
thority and decorated with badge of
Office, 60 up and down the highways of
the city seeking dogs everywhere and
gathering them in front of every block.
The returns of the first twenty-four hours
sum up more than one hundred dogs
caught and brought to pound. These re-
turns are not complete, for some of the
catchers whose bailiwicks are on the
limits of the city where the dog popula-
tion is thin do not report daily, but wait
till they get cellar full and then bring
the catch IN bulk to the pound. ALI in
dications are that the first day of the
season has been good one for catchers
and the reverse of good for the
caught. Since the dog law was enacted
making it an offence punishable by
the death of the dog for any canine to
60 unmuzzled in the streets during the
hot weather, the number of dogs taken
into custody falls short fhalf million
by only thirty thousand. The number
that has been destroyed approximates
2G4, 900, while nearly two hundred thou
sand have been redeemed by tier own,
ers at So per dog. The financial value of
the dog pound to the city is from this
easily calculated, and the remuneration
that the catchers themselves enjoy is
easily arrived at The season for catch.
ing continues until September. The
successful catcher must be On the alert
night and day. He must waste no time
for experience has taught him that al
the very hour he is resting the wise dog
will take scamper through the streets
and return to cover uncaught.
1t was with a view of observing the
methods of taking dogs that reporter
of the Herald spent Sunday night msk
the rounds with the most successful catch.
er Of the entire corps. His name Is Will
liam Wlllets, young man, who Is afraid
neither Of dogs nor their owners, ano
who never yet has allowed dog once
detected without muzzle to escape
without a visit 10 the pound. Willett:
is quick of foot, strong OF arm and hand
keen OF eye and unexcita
BILE. He owns wagon whose
shaky oil cloth top conceals ii great crock
cry crate, into which dogs are thrown as
taken. Usually he is accompanied by
half score of youths, who are on hand
to help him control rebellious dog or to
aid IN heading off from escape any canine
flying for safety. His district comprises
the territory east of Fourth avenue
to the river. from Forty seventh to De-
lancey street, region in which dogs
wonderfully increase and multiply, being
the very garden spot of the great dog
farm, from which dog catchers garner
their harvest. WIlletts' headquarters
are not far from Avenue A and Thirteenth
street.
From the corner of these two thorough
fares he started with the reporter Just as
the clock struck the hour OF midnight on
Sunday. The dog from that moment
was no longer safe, and there was dan
gerous twinkle in Willetts' eyes as he
said, "Come along with the wagon; now,
pups, look out for u.s." and started on a
brisk walk toward Clinton street. "The
dogs are thicker nor elsewhere" he re-
marked to the reporter. "You see ten or
twelve Is small number for every tene-
ment house, and-there's dogl" and the
last Of his exclamation comes across the
street from among the labyrinth of carts
slowed in an open lot. The reporter, in
the dim light, could see Wille.ts
dodging about. Then comes sharp
yelp of pain from little dog with weak
voice, and then a growl as Of anger end
ing in howl of shame and defeat from
big dog is heard, and directly Willetts
came back to the sidewalk holding one
black Newfoundland and one white Spitz
by the scEuff OF the neck. He takes up
the thread of his remarks just where he
laid it down, and as he tosses the dogs
into the wagon, says: 'They amt got
no room for them in them there tene-
ment houses; that's the reason the dogs
are too Thick The wagon which had
discreetly stopped some distance behind
the place when Willetts was IN hot pur-
suit, had come up by the time the dogs
were really captured, ready to receive
them. The wagon turns into Clinton
street. The catcher and his companion
walk some distance in advance, the for
mer relating old experiences, and seeking
new ones. The nj ght Is very hot. Peo.
pie have not gone to bed to any consid-
erable extent, and hundreds are leaning
from the windows to catch breath Of
air. There is no breeze whatever, and
the effort to find cool zephyr only
increases the sense of warmth.
Near Rivington street crowd of coat
less men and bareheaded and barefoo'ed
boys and women is congregated. There
is evidently disturbance, for the throng
moves to one side and then to the other.
'Bet it's dog fight" shouts Willetts, as
he dashes toward the crowd and pushes
his way into it. His companion mounts
a step from which he can look down on
to the turmoil. He sees the dog catcher
pushing men aside and making his way
to the center of attraction. A man has
box OF rats there and is letting them out
one by one into the fate presented in the
person of a sturdy and excited little ter