The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-09
Objected To by the Society for
Preventing Cruelty to
Animals.
TRYING TO MAKE A NEW Law
Secretary Holbrook Says Docking Is
Vulgar as Well as
Wicked.

War has been declared by the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
against the custom of docking horses tails.
and during the next session of the Legis-
lature the society means, if it has any
power in the land, to have clause enacted
making docking an offense against the
law.
Secretary Charles Holbrook says that it
is not only cruel to dock horses tail, but
that it is also vulgar; and he wants to see
a stop put to California following fashion
that is completely out of style in the East.
Secretary HoIbrook said yesterday:
regret to say that there is no law against
docking in this State, and in the present con-
dition of things We could only secure con-
viction on the general grounds OF cruelty. We
are working, however, TO get bill in next
winter, making docking specific offense.
should like TO get case and try 1t, for it is
my belief we could secure conviction. even
under the present law.
Docking is another name for torturing a
horse. The tendons of the tail are severed and
the ends are twisted upward and fastened by
pulleys TO the roof OF the stall After week or
so in this position, when the wound heals, the
tendons retain their upward curve and this
causes the hair OF the tail to bunch out.
The difficulty is TO get test case of docking.
We have been working for months, but we find
that the thing is done in private stables by
some groom or coachnan, and we have not the
power to go in and investigate even if we
suspect that the thing is going on. It's easy for
q lot OF people TO sit around and say, ooh, I'd
catch a case" They say the same thing of dog
fights, but they do not find it so easy when
they set out to locate one. We cannot get any,
body TO testify to the bookings that are done in
these private stables and we have no power TO
arrest man for having locked horse in his
possession, he always says he bought ii that
way. It's one thing for US TO suspect that a
man has his horses locked at home and
other thing to prove IL.
Secretary Holbrook is especially dis
gusted with AnglomaniaCs, who fondly
imagine that it is ''quite English" to dock
their horses tails. He said when dis
cussing this phase of the cruel practice:
Such nonsensel I suppose some idiot has
come out here from the East with u dock-tailed
horse. All the other idiots at once imagined
that to be in the style they must copy him.
They say that We have been wearing pointed
shoes long after they were discarded by New
YORK, and 1t Is just the same with docking our
horses tails.
In New York and Philadelphia they have
enacted laws against docking, so, of course,
the custom is dying out there and in England
no horse can take a prize at a horse show
which has had his tail docked. / am not sure
them, but they are entirely disqualified from
taking any kind of a prize. Most of the Eng
fish horses have their tails cut short, but it is
only the hair that is clipped.
Secretary Holbrook says that he hopes
soon to find proof of an actual case of
docking. He thought at one time of send
ing horse to groom belonging to a rich
man here, who is suspected of making
money in his leisure moments by docking
horses, ana boarding them in his masters
stables till they have recovered from the
operation. but on second thought the sec
rotary decided that he would not be justi-
fed in allowing the cruelty for the pur-
pose of securing conviction. The officers
of the society are gathering informa ton,
however, and they hold some clews which
lead them to hope that they will soon have
sufficient information to make an arrest