The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-02
DOGS.
Census Figures That show the Enormous DAM
age Done by Them TO the Flocks.

The dogs in tho United States kill nearly 2
per cent. of the sheep In the country every year.
They killed moro than 900, 900 sheep In the
year ending June i, 1890. when tho last sta
tistics in regard to the locks were gathered.
Tho damage done by them Is greater than that
from any other cause except unexpected storms,
in which whole focks of sheep are killed, and
disease. In six States more damage was done
to the locks of sheep by dogs than. by anything
else. In Florida 9,s33 sheep were killed by
dogs, and only 1850 by the weather and dis
ease. The number killed by dogs was about 0
per cent. of the total number Of sheep in the
State. The Florida sheep are not exposed to
such changes in temperature as those on the
farms in Nevada, where 1913, $50 died Of cold and
disease. Only 1872 sheep were killed by dogs
In Nevada in the census year. Tho enormou
number of deaths from changes in the weather
was due to unprecedented storms, which caught
tho breeders unprepared and almost halved
their focks.
In South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louis
lana, and Arkansas dogs do moro damage to
the sheep than anything else, and moro than
weather conditions and disease combined. In
Massachusetts, Rhode Island. and Connect.
cut the number Of deaths in the flocks due to
dogs ia almost the same as that due to disease
and the weather. This is true in Mississippi.
too. In this State. Maine, New Jersey, Penn.
s~ylvania, Nebraska, Arizona, and the Da-
kotas one-ffth as much damage is charged to
dogs as to the other chief causes Of loss.
The dogs make the best showing In Vermont,
where they killed 5000 sheep, against $4,000
| which died from disease and exposure In an
average winter. The Ohio and Michigan dogs
have good records, too. for they killed only one
sSso orth a ca %Gins s and pre en sses@' d SRs are red
with tho blood OF sheep. They killed four
htths as many as the other causes Of death com.
Indiana, Minnesota, and Iowa the dogs did
one half as much damage as other causes COM
tWo.thirds as much; in illinois and Wisconsin,
one-third as much. and in Delaware. Maryland,
Kansas. California, and New Hampshire. one.
II the winter of .1sse.so had not been a. bad
one for sheep in Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Mon;
Wyoming, the dogs would make a worse show
ing in tho census tables than they do. In these
terminated, and thus the percentage of deaths
due to,exposure and disease was raised to 6.96
for : Pe the cent whG OF t sSNsP eotSgi sheep hss d pSpu k.tied nearly
Tho sheep raisers don't like dogs as q general
thing. Many States use the money received
In these States some Of the farmers are not un:
friendly TO the dogs. If a sheep dies or Is
the thrifty farmer, returns it to the proper Off!
GERS as a sheep killed by dogs; Then he gets
paid for It. Sometimes a New ENGLAND farmer,
NhNAi AZ 10 - ANSp WA nav tNN sOAhoo IA
1t from the county ana from the owner OF the
dog, that killed it; s%heep.killing dogs become
well known in the community where their
masters live. Sometimes the dogs are such good
hunters that their masters refuse to allow
them to be killed, and try to keep them from
doing any damage. Such q, dog owner is an
easy mark for the INSCRIPTIONS sheep breed
ers. Every time a sheep Is killed. dies, or
disappears, the owner will go to the dogs
t %&ssse ins fo naRe t Rsy d ios f Riiie sff Il &c. ssi e%n:
or does not pay up. The dog may be limo.
cent, but because 1t bears a bad reputation Its
owner submits. If there are moro owners of
sheep killers than one. the farmer may collect
He may collect from the county, too.
Most dogs that kill sheep are bad dogs all
the way through, and sportsmen and farmers
unite in trying to get rid of them. A sheep.
killing dog is usually a tramp. untrainable,
shoot them when they can, and sportsnen,
anxious that their dogs shall not be accounted
bad because of the misdeeds of ownerless ours,
help them, Some farmers set traps for sheep
set where q sheep 10 killed, the body of the
sheep being used for bait. Sheep.killing dogs
usually visit the scenes of their depredations
as a murderer is said TO haunt the spot where
he commits q crime. The farmers and breed
ly. Sometimes they put arsenic In the carcass
to make sure that the guilty dog shall moi
ESCAPE.
When n real sheep-killing dog gets into q
d doss 0 of sh iif} fd he , Kills S a. many 3or as he can; H |
and he finds his prey, easy. for the sheep can
fight back and don't know enough to run
They can't run fast enough to escape, anyway
and their only. hope of salvation lies in scat
stinately In following the bell wether while
the dog Kills them.