St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-01-09
BEWARE OF DOGS.
bounty is Paid on Bears but Dogs are
Licensed.


The nature of the canine race has
not materially changed nor their hab-
its improved since the Apostle spoke
these words as recorded i'll Phil. ", 2.
What was true then is quite as en-
phatic now That dogs in general
are a nuisance is as true now as in
olden times. While most people adj
NIT this, every dog owner will claim
that his particular dog is d good one
and never does mischief.
The state of Vermont pays a high
bounty for killing bears, not because
bears kill many children. | have been
able to read the newspapers for more
than fifty years and | do not now re-
call single instance i'll Vermont of
death from the attack of bears, while
there have been many deaths caused
by the bite of dogs, and many chill
dren and others have been disfigured
for life by them The bounty on
bears IS no doubt given for the pro-
lection of sheep, but it is a we'll
known fact that hundred sheep are
killed by dogs where one is killed by
bears. twenty-five years ago Yer
mont had over three millions of
sheep, now she has less than One-half
million The dog nuisance has had
4 powerful effect in producing this
state of things, and unless it is in
some way abated fear we shall have
to give up sheep raising entirely.
Talk of tariff or free wool. The ques-
ton with sheep owners now is, free
dogs or no dogs. The dog is licensed
and protected by law. If he kills,
mangles and worries nice flock of
sheep that the owner, perhaps, has
spent the best part of q lifetime i'll
breeding, why the town pays him a
nominal price for such of them as can
be found, out of the dog fund, or he
shares with others the dog money in
the treasury, which, considering the
large number killed, is usually next
to nothing; but the town gets 81 for
each dog licensed. Better license
bears and put bounty on sheep
killing dogs All through New Eng
land this nuisance is on the increase.
1t is n potent factor in causing so
many abandoned farms.
These farms are suitable for sheep
husbandry but dogs kill the sheep,
the farmer gets discouraged and sells
out to neighbor who uses the land
fora cattle pasture and lets the build
ings stand unOccupied and go to de
cay. Kill off the worthless dogs SO
sheep can be securely kept, and we
shall have less need to import Scandi-
navians to occupy our abandoned
farms
| write advisedlv. a neighbOr
whose land adjoins mine, had his
flock of ffty-six killed, bitten and
worried to the extent of DESTROYING
half its value. Another neighbor
whoscpasture is on the opposite side
of the road from mine, had twenty
two killed, and many more bitten
bvtwo dogs at one time. The owner
who is good shot, killed one dog
and wounded the other, else, nc
doubt his nice flock would have beer
entirely ruined.
Ny own flock of registered Spanish
Merinos, which contain several eve
sheep that cost $40 each few years
since. has been reduced twenty this
summer and fall No animal wa:
seen killing them, but their remain:
showed plainly that it was the worl
of dogs. The sheep killed in my flocl
were more to me than all the dogs II
the state.
These are samples of what is tax
ing place all around US, and suggest:
the propriety of needing the advic,
of the Apostle.-[J X. Walker of Yer
mont In \. E. Farmer.