The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-25
DOGS WILL HAVE TO LOOK OUT.
a NEW ORDINANCE TO BE INTRO
DUCED BY ALDERMAN GRAHAM.

Worthless Dogs Running at Large
i'm the City-An Ample supply of
Dog Laws i'm the city Code Al
ready, But Most OF Them Seem to
Have Fallen Into Disuse-Alder-
man Graham Wants to Dispose of
CANNES without Owners.
An effort TO decrease the number of
worthless dogs in the city win very prob
ably be made al an early date. member
of the board of ALDERMEN has under con
! temptation the introduction Of an ordinance
to require all dogs running a large 10
have colalr with a badge attached, he
badge to be evidence of the fact that the
license required by the city for keeping
a dog has been paid
The ordinance will provide that all dogs
| found running at large without badges
shall be taken up and impounded and af-er
three days, If they have not been claimed
! by their owners within that time and the
| license paid, that they shall be poisoned.
by The use of gas. Asphyxiaton viii be
| provided for as a sure and painless means
Of causing death.
| Alderman Graham stated to a Morning
| News reporter that he has such an ordi-
nance under consideration, and he will
propose il at some meeting in the near
future. THE ordinance wil not be direct
ed against the dog, said DR.. Graham,
out is meant in kindness 10 our canine
| friends. While there are number of peo-
| pie who have dogs and who take proper
| care of them there are hundreds of others
| who maintain a mere nominal ownership
of ther dogs, allowing them to run freely
| about the streets, both night and day, and
pick up a living as best they can. Many
| Of these animals lead a miserable exist
enee and would be much better off If put
| out of the way. Few of the owners of
| such dogs pay taxes on them. When in
quiry is made an the residence if dogs are
kept there, a negative reply is given. This
may be said 10 be the truth. The dogs
are not kept there; they simply keep them
selves"
"Eow would you enforce such all ordi-
nance" DR. Graham was asked.
Just as is done in other cities he re-
piled. by having a dog catcher go about
| the streets with cart and pick up AL
| the dogs which are without badges. These
dogs would be taken to the pound and kept
three days for identification. II the own
ers failed to show up Thin that time they
would be put out of the way by means of
gas 1t only requires about ten minutes TO
put an end TO dog in this manner and
the death is entirely painless"
The result of such an ordinance" said
DR.. Graham would be that people who
really care for dogs viii willingly pay the
required lax, while others who have been
Ieaving their dogs to run free around the
streets would learn to take better care of
| their dogs or they would soon have none.
1t may not be necessary for Dr. Ora
man TO introduce a ordinance relat-
ing to dogs. A reference to MacDonelfs
code viii reveal the fact that if half
the ordinances now ON the books relating
to dogs We're enforced there would be no
need for new ones. Under existing or
dinances dogs are required to be muZzled
between June and October, to have col
| lars, with the owners names, in order
| thar the owners may be made Responsible
| for any injury inflicted by the dogs The
Mayor is given authority 70 issue proela-
nation to kill dogs by directing the MEM
bers of the police force to kin any un.
muzzled dog or any dog unaccompanied
| by its owner, a specified time during which
| this order is TO be in effect being named.
Section 1915 OF the code provides thai no
dog shall be brought or be permitted 30
come within thirty feet of the market dur
| ing market hours, and any person vioiat-
| ing this ordinance by suffering dog TO
accompany him within thirty feet of the
| market is liable 10 a fine not exceeding
| $50
The ordinances referred to- however.
were adopted as far back as 1883, with the
| exception of that which relates 10 muz-
! zing dogs between June and october. which
was adopted in 1879. AS these ordinances
| have not been enforced, with the possible
| exception of that which relates to bring
| ing dogs into the market, il is likely that
| they have been dead letters upon the books
| for many years.
| 1t is also prohibited by ordinance to car
| ry a dog into Forsyth Park and a fine of
! not less than s. nor more than S25 is pro
! yided for this offense. The ordinance was
! passed when Forsyth Park was iuelosed
| as it alludes 10 THAT portion of Forsyth
! Place which is inclosed by an iron fence"
/ The fence having been removed it may be
| he'd that this ordinance is no longer oper-
| alive
About the only ordinance relating to
/ dogs which has been enforced is that re-
| quiring annual tax OF 81 and even this
| has been very laxly enforced Section
1.242 of the code covers the whole dog ques-
ton, SO TO speak. requiring dogs to have
collars with badges, these badges to be
taken out annually. 1t also requires that
the name of the owner shall be legibly
| stamped or engraved upon the collar The
I Mayor is given authority to issue a pro-
clamation forbidding the permitting of
dogs to run at large, if at any time il shall
| be deemed unsafe to permit them this
liberty, and any dog found running at
large after such notice may be killed and
| in addition the owner made liable for a
fine OF $10.
The present method of enforcing the
dog law is to take census of the dog
| owners. This census is necessarily inn
/ perfect and in addition about half Of those
| reported by the census takers as having
| dogs usually deny the ownership. That
portion of the ordinance relating to the
| wearing Of collars with badges by dogs
has not been enforced for a number Of
i years.
Died IA Natural Death.
y