The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-05-24
Dogs Versus Sheep.

We find the following paragraph
going. the rounds of the agricultural
press: Tennessee has 800, 600 dogs.
AT one dollar month for food alone
that is So, 500, 900 year, not to speak
of the damage they intlict 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
versatin 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 thousar DIS
of farmers have had to dispose of their
tiocks 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 half-dozen dogs
may attack q flock on q 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
filled within 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.
Sheep killing by dogs is not, as a rule.
for the purpose of obtaining something
to eat, for the best-fed dog is almost as
likely to practice it as the vllest half
starved cur; it appears to be done more
for sport or excitement than anything
else. We are inclined to think that
dogs have q sign language by which
they communicate their thoughts and
desires among themselves. A dog will
start out in the evening and call on a
neighbor, and by some kind of signs he
will say, Let us 90 and see Jim or
Jack over at neghbor Browns" and
OFF both will go at a gallop. When they
reach their friends kennel there will be
another consultation, and perhaps the
result will he visit to some flock or
sheep, perhaps Browns flock; and the
most curious part of the operation is
that Browns dog will Join in the raid,
and help kill the very sheep that he has
been with and protected from their
enemies for years OF course it is not
often that dog will destroy his mas
ter's sheep or aid other dogs in doing
So but such instances Of depravity in
dogs have been known.
The question for the farmer and all
others interested in the development of
the sheep industry to answer is. which
are worth the most to the country.
sheep or dogs? We exempt, of course,
the dogs that are too small to iniure
sheep. as well as some breeds that are
not addicted to running about nights in
search of such exciting sport as killing
sheep; but by far the larger number of
dogs in this country are of the sheep
killing kinds. As these dogs increase
in numbers sheep must necessarily de
crease, as they have in several States.
once famous Tor their fine ilocks, but
now more noted for the great number
of dogs than for choice sheep.
Twenty years or more ago the late
Henry S. Randall, the greatest author
ity on sheep husbandry of his day, said
that the State of Ohio expended an
nually three and half millions of dol
lars in food for dogs, or more than
three-fourths the total amount of State
taxes for 1860. Aside from the expense
of keeping dogs, they killed on an aver
age over 100000 worth of sheep an
nually in the State of Ohio alone.
These figures were obtained from the
township assessors lists, and not esti-
mated or guessed at. Other States have
suffered fully as much as Ohio from the
depredations Of dogs upon sheep, and
it is certainly time that something was
done TO relieve sheep husbandry of this
fearful tax.-N. Y. Sun.