The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-20
AFTER BOW-W vows.
Worcester's Dog Off
Ger On His Annual
Crusade.
PAY UP OR GO TO COURT.
Amusing Efforts of Dog
Owners to Eyade
the Tax.
PAY UP OR GO TO COURT.

The dog officer has started on his an
nual crusade in search of unlicensed
CANNES.
All dogs should be licensed on or be-
fore May 1, but this year is no eXcep-
ton to the general rule and as usual
many persons who are supposed to own
dogs, according to the assessors re-
turns and last years records, have
failed to put in an appearance at the
city clerks Office, to make the re-
quired deposit.
Plenty OF time is allowed, if that IS
the point to be considered, but some
people either cannot or will not re-
member that their dogs license has
expired. The city clerk and his assis-
tants are ready to receive license
money any time after May l, and dur
ing the ensuing 10 weeks a constant
stream of owners make their annual
payment. Toward the last of July the
number falls off until it is not unusual
for days to pass without a license be-
ing taken out in spite of the fact that
sizeable batch of documents remains
in the hands Of the clerk.
Two sets Of notices are sent out to
persons supposed to own dogs and
then if nothing is heard from them the
list is turned over to Dog officer Rich
ard F. Watson, who starts on his year
ly search for delinquents.
Experiences of the dog officer are
many and varied. Many people upon
whom he calls seem to consider his in
veStiGation in the light of personal
spite against them and apparently fal'
to consider that the office is created for
the express purpose evidenced in the
officers work. officer Watson states
that people would be surprised to
know the names of some of the people
who apparently try to evade licensing
their dogs.
The most general excuse is a plea of
forgetfulness or neglect and in many
cases this Is doubtless true, as some of.
the men called on have abundant
means wherewith to liquidate the city's
claim, but the time limit has expired
and in majority Of cases a summons
to appear before Judge Utley is the in
evitable result.
Instances have been known where
dogs have been given vacations, that is
to say, they are sent into the country
| for a greater or less period of time, to
| stay with the owners country cousin.
| Here they remain until the village con-
stable gets the tip that strange dog
| has taken up his residence in town,
when if the constable Is particularly
/
| forced to again change his boarding
place, giving up the quiet life of the
! country, with its accompanying de-
| lights of country air and diet, for a
| somewhat uncertain existence in the
hot and dusty city. Between two fires,
chances are good that the dog is finally
located and ifs owner made to settle or
suffer the consequences.
An amusing incident came under the
! of CHI
ago. He called at house where a
dog is owned, whose owner had failed
to comply with the requirements of law.
No one appeared in answer to his ring
at the door and after waiting a sufficient
! length of time the summons was re-
| peated. The second attempt had the eff
! feet of bringing woman to a front
window in the second story of the
| house, and it was from this point that
the interview was conducted She
| admitted owning q dog but considered
the animal too small to license. The
| animal had reached years of diScre-
| ton and had been licensed the year
! before, but in her estimation, its aver
! dupois was not sufficient to warrant the
/ expenditure of the required fee. The
officer explained that it made no diff
/ ference whether the dog weighed one
| pound or fifty pounds. and In spite of
the woman's protestations advised that
her husband call on the city clerk.
! Still another excuse for non payment
| of license fees is that the dog was pur-
chased after May /, and the present
owner thought the animal was licensed,
| In fact some very complicated cases.
have arisen over the question of just
when certain men exercised right own
ership over certain CANNES.
Numerous persons are summoned into
court each year. irrespective of age
sex, or color. and to follow the ex-
plantations that are forthcoming rela-
tive to why the dog was not licensed
would tax the memory Of the ordinary
individual. Almost invariably, how
ever cases of this nature result in the
defendant being fined SIS.
According to the almanac dog days
| begin the latter part of July. So do
the days of the dog officer, but the lat
ter continue long after the period COM
monty assigned for disagreeable wealth
'ev n plOSa