The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-07-19
Dogs Versus Sheep.


We find the following paragraph |
going the rounds of the agricultural
press: Tennessee has 100000 dogs.
At one dollar a month for food alone
that is $500, 900 year, not to speak
of the damage they infiict upon the
sheep industry" We do not believe
that the people of Tennessee are any
more fond OF dogs, or keep any more
per capita, than those of other States,
for this love of dogs appears to be uni
versal in the United States. The rich
and poor, lame and lazy, will have their
dogs, but it must be said that those who
can least afford it usually keep the
greatest number. The poor man
usually keeps one dog; and very poor
one, If he is lazy and shiftless, keeps
two or more that must hunt their own
food, much to the annoyance Of the
owners neighbors.
Now, it must be admitted that dogs
are the one great enemy of sheep in
dustry, and have been for many years
in all of our older States, and Thousands
of farmers have had to dispose of their
flocks or see them killed. Laws have
been passed, it is true, to make the
owners of dogs responsible for what
ever damage they may do, either in
killing, manning or worrying sheep;
but the difficulty is in identifying the
culprits, for one or q half-dozen dogs
NAV attack a flock on dark night,
and, after destroying more or less
sheep, depart for their homes, which
may be miles distant, the owner of the
flock knowing nothing of his loss until
the next morning. when perhaps it is
too late to track the rascals that have
done the mischief. Besides, if they are
followed and found, the chances are in
favor of their owners being too poor to
pay damages, and the farmer whose
sheep have been killed or manned gets
no better satisfaction than to see one OF
more dogs shot, whose places will be
flied within q week by other equally
worthless and dangerous ours. Of
course, no man who owns apet dog will
believe him guilty of sheep killing unless
he is caught in the act, or wool is found
| in his teeth or stomach, and even then
there is hard struggle to- save the life
of the brute, the result usually being
that feud is engendered among neigh
bors. Se
Sheep killing by dogs is not, as q rule,
for the purpose of obtaining something
to eat, for the best-fed dog is almost as
likely to practice it as the vilest half
starved cur; it appears to be done more
for sport or excitement than anything
else. We are inclined to think that
ldogs have q sign language by which
lthey communicate their thoughts land
desires among themselves. A dog will
start out in the evening and call on 3
neighbor, and by some kind of signs he
will say, LET us 60 and see Jim OF
Jack over at neighbor Browns" ant
of both will go at q gallop. When the.
reach their friends kennel there will b.
another consultation, and perhaps tn
result will be visit to some flock o
sheep, perhaps Browns flock; and tn
most curious part of the operation ]
that Browns dog will join in the raid
and help kill the very sheep that he ha
been with and protected from thei
! enemies for years. OF course it IS no
often that dog viii destroy his mas
, ter's sheep or aid other dogs in dom
so, but such instances of depravity i
dogs have been known.
The question for the farmer and a
, others interested in the development {
, the sheep industry to answer is, whic
{ | are worth the most to the country
sheep or dogs? We exempt, of cours'
! | the dogs that are too small to injuI
sheen, as well as some breeds that al
! not addicted to running about nights
| soorch Of auch oxeitinv snort as KILN
/ sheep; but by far the larger number
! dogs in this country are of the sheeI
: killing kinds. AS these dogs increa'
q in numbers sheep must necessarily d
' crease, as they have in several State
/ once famous for their fine focks. b.
{ now more noted for the great numbt
! of dogs than for choice sheep.
3 twenty years or more ago the la
E Henry S. Randall, the greatest autho
;. ity on sheep husbandry of his day, sa
i that the State of Ohio expended a
nually three and half millions OF dc
lars in food for dogs, or more ths
Q three-fourths the total amount of Sta
y taxes for 1860. Aside from the expeni
q of keeping dogs, they killed on an ave
: age over 100000 worth of sheep q
% pually in the State of Ohio alon
+ These figures were obtained from Il
d township assessors lists, and not es
s mated or guessed at. Other States ha'
e suffered fully as much as Ohio from &
u depredations of dogs upon sheep, 81
It it Is certainly time that something v
y done to rslieve sheep husbandry Of Il
fearful tax.-N =. Sun.