Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-19
THE MUZZLE ORDER
Views of Citizens Respecting Its
Further Enforcement.
REGARDED BY MANY as UNNECESSARY
Dr.. Salmon Keeping Note Of the
Results OF Investigations.
VARIETY OF OPIN ION S
REGARDED BY MANY as UNNECESSARY
OF OPINION

The order of the Commissioners of the
District Of Columbia compelling dog owners
to muZzle their dogs for a period of six
expired today. In order to ascer-
trict upon the ACCESSIBILITY of extending the
order, The Star has secured a number of
nterviews on the subject.
Mr.. George w. Evans. who was active as
chairman of the Dog Owners Association,
rescinded by the Commissioners, and also
appealed to Congress in the
same behalf. had the following to say when
a Star reporter saw him this morning re-
the extc1sicn of the order:
81 am entirely out of the affair, said Mr.
F., ans, land am no longer connected with
the Dog Own rs Associa ion. While my
views on the subject have not changed and
have no apologies To make for my past
efforts in the matter. | do not care to dis
cuss it further. being perfectly willing to
let it rest with the Agricultural Depart
ne Mt and the District Commissioners. OF
as a good citizen. | shall cheerfully
acquiesce in any conclusions they may
reach.
I'm this connection I would like to state
that for several weeks past | have been in
OF from citlHt!lS VI
the District. who are owners of dogs MAX
ing complaints about the nuZZiing order as
1t affected their animals, and in every in
stance i have formally referred them to he
District Commissioners. ! trust in future
that all such letters may be sent direct to
the Commis sioners. d | have nothing fur
Their To do with the Dog Owners Associa-
ton. as | stated before.
Chains Better Than MuzzIes.
Mr.. James NJ. Green. who has owned val
liable sporting dogs for many years. ex-
pressed himself as being decidedly opposed
to the muZzling of the animals.
at would be infinitely better he said,
eff protection is necessary, to compel dog
owners to take their dogs out chains.
The present nluZzes do not prevent the
dogs from biting If they are so inclined"
At this moment fox terrier dog without
a muZzle came around the corner of 14th
and f streets where Mr.. Green and The
Star reporter were standing. and trotted
into a store.
There's a dog without a muzzle now
remarked Mr.. Green. land that is only an
instance of how ineffective the order really
Is. A dog should be permitted to breathe
and perspire freely. and In hot weather he
can do neither comfortably if muzzied.'
Like an OvercOat in Summer
Arthur Mccormick of NJ. A. Tappan &
Co. said
Il hope the dog muzzle order will not be
further extended The order was of great
value to our business on account of the
great demand for muzzies. but l feel sure
that muzzling a dog does him more injury
than he does To others. y dog perSpireS
through the mouth. Putting a muZZle on
a dog in hot weather is as cruel. in my
opinion, AS /, would be to put active
man in a heavy ulster and then tie his
yet off
An Incident in Point.
Mr. r. A. johnson said he believed it
would be better to make dog owners carry
dogs on chains than TO compel them to
muZzie them.
Il was witness to an instance recently
down near the Boston store A little girl
started to pat dog on the head, when the
after apparently attempted to bite her and
n doing so hurt her wrist with the metal
part of his muZzle. Some one said II the
log hadn't been muzzled he wouldn't have
hurt the child. Some one else spoke up
and remarked, dryly, if the dog hadn't been
nuzzled he might have bitten her severely.
So. you see, there are TWO sides of it, like
n everything else
Mr.. Al. Fletcher, who was present when
the muZzling order was being discussed,
gave some interesting contributions to the
subject.
"As far as l am personally concerned"
he said, Il wouldn't care if every dog liv-
ng was knocked in the head. but lots of
my friends own dogs and love them, and
the pets of people ought to have some con-
sidtratUn as long such things are per
nitted. Now. in New York every dog
found running at large is taken up and dis
posed Of Consequently. people owning dogs
worth caring for either carry them on the
chain or keep them al home. In Philadel-
1hia all dogs must be muzzled when out
ioors, but the muzz!es there are sensible,
and not these affairs OF straps and heavy
wire that only trrtate and worry a dog
and in nine cases out Of ten don't really
nuZZle him. The Philadelphia nuZZle IS
made Of very light and very strong wire
and covers the dogs head completely. but
: large enough to permit him 70 breathe and
pant, and fncommOdes him only when he
wants to exercise his biting procl:vitics, If
ne has any. Ii would be easy | think,
to indicate the kind of muzze to be used,
as well as 10 compel al dogs to be lnuZzled
Mr.. w. Il. Hibbs: Il think the do,. rnuz-
cling order from beginning to end has been
the most absurd thing / ever saw. 1t has
occupied the time of the Commissioners
when they should have been busy with
things of more Importance: it has aroused
the indignation of numerous good citizens
and IL has made women and children I'M
happy to have their pets subjected to such
ridiculous interference"
II. J. Gregory: Il am a dog owner but
have no objection to the muzzling order"
DIR. ]. W. Bovee: II believe the order
should be continued
S W. Curriden: II have not informed
myself on the subject sufficiently to ex-
press any decided opinion
UnnecessariIy Cruel.
Mr.. Louis A. Dent. register of wills: II
have not examined into the subject Of the
closely, but am inclined to
think the muZZling of well-bred dogs prop
erly licensed and cared for is unnecessarily
cruel The constant distraint of the dog
might bring on rabies, which would be
given vent to when the dog is unmuZZled in
the household, with disastrous results to
families. The practice thus tends to the
very result desired to be avoided. The other
class of dogs. ill-bred. ill-fed uncared for,
roaming at large. are well disposed of by
the pOundmaster."
Attorney Henry Z. Davis: II am not in
favor of muZZling dogs"
Attorney A. A. Birney: II do not think
the muzzle order should be longer enforced
The desired result has been accomplished
N that the city has been rid of hundreds of
tramp dogs"
Attorney Wilton ]. Lambert: IT am de-
cidedly of the opinion that the -muzzling
regulation should be abolished, and have
never believed that any good purpose has
been subserved through Its enforcement
cannot see how those who stopped to rea-
son and 10 consider the admirable and logi-
cal argument recently made by Commits
SfQDer Macfarlap1 ia