Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-18
RIGHTS or DOGS AND PEOPLE.

To the Editor OF the Dispatch
I would ike for you TO answer the ioi-
lowing question:
what rieht have the city police TO 80
from house to house and see II PeoP'o
have paid their dog and soat-hovnso'
whom there are hundreds-yes, thou-
sonds-of men that have not paid their
pou- or head-taxes for years. ,,
Il PLURIBUS UNUM.
Tho police but do the duty that Is re-
oured of them, and a thankless and as
agreeable duty it is on account OF the
Increasing number OF cases of rabies In
this country. the tendency Of the day IS
10 increase rather than diminish the
strictness OF police supervision over dogs
kept in cities 1t may be said, OF course
that the putting OF a license medal on
dogs neck will not prevent the animal
from going mad. And we grant that this
is true but Rchmonds license laws les
sen the number Of dogs that are kept IN
the city. and to that extent, at least, 90
a public service.
few months ago four dear little Bal
timore boys died from the bites OF a 81.
Bernard dog. If other such cases occur
in the United States, 1t will only be a
short time before this city and all other
cities will positively forbid all unmuz-
zled dogs going at large. Such a law IS
even now in force in many great cities.
The reason that the police do not go
from house to house reporting the men
that have not paid their poll and per-
sonaI-property taxes is that they are not
REQUIRED to do so. The duty of assessing
and collecting head and personal-property
taxes is imposed upon others than the
police.
But our city does not tax dogs simply
as a revenue measure The chief object
of the dog-tax, or license, is to relieve
Richmond of some of the thousands Of
dogs that roam our streets, and any one
of which may at any time 90 mad and do
as much mischief here as the st. Bernard
did in Baltimore.
We tell our friend that the laws here
with respect to the keeping of dogs are
exceedingly lenient, not to say loose. The
dog that wears a license medal not only
has the right to roam our streets and
parks. but may whine and howl all night
long, to the great annoyance of his mas
ter's nervous neighbors. 1t is true that
rabies are growing in frequency of late,
but hitherto, we dare say bowling dogs
have killed more people than mad-dogs
have.
The city regulation with reference to
goats treats these animals as nuisances,
and so they are. They seldom butt and
never bite, and are entirely guiltless Of
whining and bowling O. nights, but they
are destructive of flowers and shrubs,
hence it is desirable that Richmond
should not be overcrowded with them.
Our Police Board has long been urging
the City Council to employ the modern
method of dog-catching here, but so far
unsuccessfully. But the change, which
necessitates some little expense, will
come after awhile. We are slow about
such things, but we get there" in the
course Of time. For the present we can
only hope that people who suffer from
their neighbors' barking dogs will ener-
gize the municipal authorities to put an
end TO that abomnable nuisance. a man
would not be allowed to stand in his
back yard and howl through the live-long
night Why, then should a dog have a
fright" that is denied to a taxpayer and
a citizen?