Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-17

| sAls~As ELECTRICAL n.eaisB raIHsp oF.
The dog days are here The dog star (sifius)
rises aud sets with The gun. the sap commences
70 run out Of the trees aud. according 10 the
popular notion. the great friend Of man has
an almost Understandable desire 20 take bite
from the flesh OF every lord OF creation he
meets. 1t IL queer 10 The student Of "dog-
ology," and stranger still TO those who take no
interest In the matter, why the dog star should
| have anything TO do with it, but It does never
theless. People who have much TO do with
dogs are advised by Poundmaster Eipstein 10
keep close watch upon their movements or
Prof. Pasteur will have TO be called upon for
| his services.
The expression dog days" IL OF ancient ORR
gin. 1t applies to the period of greatest heat
In summer and derives its name from the fact
| that in the ATTITUDES Of the Mediterranean sea
this period nearly corresponded with that in
winch the dog star rose at the same time with
the sun. 1t was to this state of affairs that the
ancients ascribed malignant influence.
large number of the dogs seen on the
| streets now wear muzzles made of wire or
| leather. Every one admits that il is good
| thing to muzzle dogs and many people fyvor
the enactment of law to this effect.
ISSUING TAGS.
| Just now is busy time with the men who
have to keep the dogs of Washington in order,
protect those that are fortunate enough to have
tags and make war of determination upon the
tagless ours. The dog police may be seen
every day in the back alleys as we'll as in the
| principal thoroughfares of the town doing bus
! mess. The first day of July was not only the
beginning of the fiscal year in the District but
| 1T was also the time when licenses for the TO-
| 600 or more CANNES in Washington should be
| taken out.
| DR.. Clark, who has charge of this rather i'm
| portant department of the District, has been
| busy OF late issuing tags. He reports thus far
3.9S3 tags have been issued, which is increase
| up to date of over 400 over those Issued during
the whole of last year. But this does not rep
resent all the dogs in Washington. There Is
large majority untagged. The poundmaster
gathers them in by scores every day, and if he
continues at his present rate for great while
he will soon have greatly thinned ont the ca
nine population.
CATCHING DOGS.
The method of catching dogs is interesting.
There is nothing striking about the dog
| catcher's equipage il front view is had of it.
1t is simply an ordinary spring wagon to which
is hitched big bay horse. 1t looks like a de-
livery wagon, such as is seen a hundred times
a day on the streets of the city. If you turn
| and get rear view of it, however. you will see
| more than this. broad plank projects from
under the wagon about four feet and astride
OF this sits the catcher. Before him, within
easy reach. is net, the meshes of which are
broad and strong. The wagon glides almost
nOiselessly along over the smooth asphalt pave
ments. the driver in front keeping his weather
eye open for game. When dog is sighted with
out collar the word is passed and all made ready
for the catch. The wagon Stacks up and the
man behind slips the net from its place and
hastily dismounts from his perch. The strategic
points Of the locality are quickly noted and
convenient place selected in which to corner
the dog. Having chosen his position the
catcher advances quickly and with unerring
| aim throws the net over the outlaw. cowboy
| could not be truer with his lasso. There is a
gathers about. There is always something at
tractive in the way the thing is done and the
crowd of idlers stand with mouths wide open
until the wagon has vanished
After the dog has been caught he is carried
to the wagon and thrust through an open door
among the other prisoners that have been
gathered from all parts Of the city. These un-
fortunate animals, companions in misery, are
generally friendly toward each other, but occa-
sionally two old enemies meet in the close
quarters and conclude to pay off old debts,
each one no doubt blaming the other for his
i'll luck. 1t all generally ends in free fight,
and as the wagon rolls along on its journey the
sounds issuing from it attract general attention
ana remarks. After the Cdtcn the horses neaQ
IL turned homeward and soon the wagon draws
up in front of little whitewashed building at
the western end of New York avenue, with a
high whitewashed fence around il. This is the
dog pound.
IN THE POUND.
In big iron cage about twenty feet long by
four in width and heighth the visitor will al
ways find from fifty to one hundred dogs of all
ages, colors and breeds. Over in one corner.
looking as if he was ashamed Of his disgrace,
may be seen an aristocratic dog which had in
only to be grabbed by the dog-catcher. When
. STAR reporter entered the place he was
greeted with series Of yelps and barks.
The cage above referred to is divided into
three compartments. Into the first of these
the one nearest the gate-the dogs are trans
they are allowed to remain from ten to twelve
hours, and then those which in the meantime
have not been called for and redeemed are
transferred to the second compartment, and
thence to the third compartment, whence they
are taken out and shot.
THE EXECUTION.
The sun has hardly reached the meridian
which announces the noon hour before the exc
cution commences. From twenty-five to fifty
dogs are daily sent to dog eternity by the 81
calibre bullet of the revolver kept at the pound
lOF Tie puTpObc. ~ CaItico pretty SOOu
of lead, and while in most cases the first bullet
Is sufficient to put an end to his dogship sec
ond application is sometimes necessary
great yelp goes up from the cage of dogs when
the first shot is fired. and the roise never
ceases until the last animal in the compartment
has ceased to be.
The shooting of the dogs is done quickly, but
they are shot within a few feet of the other
animals. This is a practice that has caused re-
mark by humane persons. 1t is held that
dogs intelligence is sufficient to give him an
inkling of his approaching fate and the antici-
patton of it causes more real suffering than the
fatal shot itself.
In the middle Of the roughly-paved court is
the fatal stake. 1t is here poor Fido Bruno or
Jinksey meets his fate. 1t takes some little
time to tie dog, for the terrified animal, as if
conscious that something awful is going to
happen, struggles and snaps at his captors, but
is soon overpowered and stands trembling. The
executioner takes q stand near the dog and
after taking deliberate aim at spot behind one
ear. fires and the stiffening body is thrown on a
pile along with the others that had gone before.
ELECTRICITY SUGGESTED.
This method of killing dogs has been con.
demned by many lovers of dogs as causing need
less suffering. Aspiration or electricity has
been recommended, and it is understood that
the Commissioners will, as soon as Con-
gress meets, ask that some provision be made
for impr owing the present condition of
affairs Mr.. Einstein says that he sees no rea-
son why electricity would not be the best as