The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-08-02
Dog. Catching in New York.


The term dog-cateher, although in
the neighborhood of Printing House
square it bears a significance quite for
eign to its etymology, in the simple
acceptation of the word means only
man licensed by the Mayor to capture
dogs found unmuzzled on the streets
during the summer months. The dog
catching industry is pursued by virtue of
municipal ordinance, providing
against the danger of hydrophobia
from the bite of a mad dog. 1t pro-
vides that license at the cost of 81
shall be taken out for. every one of
these animals kept within the city
limits, and that they shall be securely
muzzled and accompanied by some one
responsible for their good behavior
whenever they appear upon the streets.
The ordinance also empowers the Mayor
to employ a sufficient number of dog
catchers, who shall be designated by a
badge, to be worn-in some conspicueus
place. and provided with proper appli-
ances for capturing and conveying the
animals, without injury, to the pound.
The dogzcateher's outfit consists prin-
cipally of q horse and covered wagon,
inclosed so as to prevent the escape of the
captives, and provided with vessel of
fresh water. The catcher also must
have chains and collars and net very
much like the instrument used for
catching crabs. The net, however, is
not popular with the skillful catcher,
who usually picks up his victim if he be
q small one, or claps collar around his
neck before the brute is aware of his
danger. The catcher usually employs
driver, thus leaving himself free to
he mat tho on aifhnf- ciHn of fha
route.
When q load has been procured he
drives to the pound and delivers the
prey to the Superintendent, who credits
him with eighty cents head. The
catchers declare that the pay is entirely
too small, and have been trying to have
it increased. They say that the outlay
is considerable, and the expense of
keeping their horses and hiring adj
ditional help, as well as replacing lost
articles, scarcely leaves fair return for
their labor. When the system was first
put into operation few years ago the
crop of dogs was so abundant that each
cart was good for fifty or sixty a day,
and the catchers had what they called
picnic all summer, but now twenty
dogs is a ''good days harvest" In
stead of increasing the pay, however,
the Mayor has decreased the number of
catchers. so that now there are only
seven who have licenses, whereas in the
good old times when dogs were easy the
PATERNITY numbered as many as thirty.
The good effects of the ordinance may
be seen in every quarter of the city, but
especially in the reports from the hos
pitals. Several years ago the papers
were full of the horrible details of death
from hydrophobia, and the various
recipes for curing the bite of a mad dog,
from soaring with red hot iron to the
more popular remedy of getting para
Hzed," were familiar to the most care
less student of materia medica. The
shout of mad dog" was sufficient to
send weak-minded persons into convul-
sions, often as fatal as the venomous
saliva, and many poor brute was
stoned and beaten to death If he were
unfortunate enough to escape being
shot by policeman for some simple
antic which brought down upon him the
dark suspicious of mankind. Last year
only two or three cases of hydrophobia
from the bite of a dog were reported,
and so far this year there has not been
| . single instance.-M y. Truth.