Evening star., 1897-06-15
THE DOG NUISANCE.
SomethfnE Should BE Done by the
Police to Abate 1t.

Police to Abate 1t.
10 The Editor OF The Evening Star:
Kermit me to indorse your editorial of
'he 9th instant, entitled Ball Playing in
the street. especially in regard to your
proposition that the police take the ini-
uative against certain nuisances and thera-
ny give some measure of peace to the citi-
zens ana also obyiate ''neighborhood
rows. Your remarks while having refer
ence to particular nuisance are equally
applicable to many others. For instance
let US consider the dog nuisance Hum
oreos OF persons are kept awake night
a1ter night by certain dogs, or their feel
lnss rudely shocked during the day hy
occurrences quite common on our streets
at the present time, but which cannot be
properly named here. The only way at
present to get rid of such nuisances is to
have a warrant issued for the owner of
the offending dog and appear as COM
pla;nant in the Police Court OF course
bad blood is engendered and no one can
1oretell the consequences. Now / sub
mt that the regulations or law should
be changed SO as to give the right to- or
rather make it incumbent on, the police
to make the complaint and have the war
rants issued etc, without bringing in in
any way the citizens who make the COM
pldint The officers word should be suf-
icient as to a particular dog being
nuisance in a neighborhood, when 1t is
taken every day as against that of human
onender. A man, woman or child yelling
all night would be summarily dealt with
but a dog may keep a whole neighbor-
hood awake without being molested until
some citizen worn to a fraZZle'' with loss
of sleep takes the initiative and goes to
court and likely as not breaks a friend
ship or precipitates a neigh borhood row."
AT present dogs are allowed at large at
night on the streets and may bark and
howl without let or hindrance, since the
police are powerless to prevent ft. OBJ
viously this is all wrong, and an ordnance
should be passed giving the police the right
to kill every dog found at large barking or
nowling.
The disgusting scenes daily, even in our
greatest thoroughfares, should cause the
enactment of an ordinance forbidding the
keeping Of female dog within the city
limits
There is a law in force which imposes
fine of SO upon the owner of any female
dog who allows her to run at large at GER
tain periods, and the Police Court will do
its part effectively if cases are brought
there, but the police neither kill the Offend
ing animal, as the regulations require,
nor do they find the owner and take him
to court. The evil referred to is growing
worse year by year, and it is time halt
was called. My neighborhood is filled with
worthless dogs, one man alone owning five.
which rush out into the street all night long
and bark at every passing person or dog
1t is simply horrible, and yet it can only be
stopped by my spending a day in the Po-
lice Court. Is this right? If five persons
should rush out and yell at every passerby
the police would soon put a stop to il, but
more consideration must be shown TO dogs.
Mr.. Wight, put on your thinking cap
some night and see If you can remedy mat
ters. If you find any difficulty in keeping
awake l will gladly let you have the use
of my library any night, and will guar
antee that you will be kept awake by the
dogs. But you must not shoot one for the
Humane Society or the police will get you
for cruelty to animals OF for discharging
a 1rearm on the street. The dog is well
protected, but the man-'where oh, where
Is hep FOR QUIET AND PEACE.