Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-08-24
muzzling dogs does no good whatever,

but often great harm. The dangerous
dogs are those who are ownerless and
live as tramps. They are not muzzled,
and often have dangerously bitten
household dogs that are muzzled and
helpless when attacked. The interest
ing story of 'Rab and His Friends" de-
scribes the attack Oft tramp bull ter
rier on a gray old huge mastiff saun-
tering about his masters lawn. "The
bailies had proclaimed a general mug
cling" just as our commissioners have
done. "His master had encompassed
his huge jaws in an apparatus made out
of the leather of an ancient breechin'.
The strap across his mouth was as In
tense as bow string. His lips curled
in rage, his teeth CLEANED and he
roared with indignation" But he was
helpless while the bull terrier gnawed
at his throat. One of the boys present
had knife. He says: 81 put its edge on
| the tense leather; it ran before it; and
then-one sudden jerk of the enormous
head, a sort of mist about his mouth,
no noise--and the fierce bull terrier is
dropped, limp and dead. The mastiff
had taken him by the small of the back
and broken it."
That story from England demon
strates what all men of common sense
understand. Not onl y the mastiffs, but
the little fellows, the lap dogs and pets
| 90 al,1lran III halt,lacc tyh 10
muzzled, and the stray tramps can
throttle and kill them. Commissioner
Mcfarland, the man who has endeav-
ored to have the muzzle order revoked,
says:
"The danger of hydrophobia has been
grossly exaggerated, and probably by
the supporters of institutions estab-
lished ostensibly for the cure of hy-
drophobia, in the name of humanity,
but who require 500 to 5000 for treat
ment for the alleged disease. They have
set up theory and act upon the as
sumption that their theory is an es-
tablished fact, when it is far from the
| truth"
The commissioners who stand by
their obnoxious order will give no rea-
son for their action. They say that it
was based originally upon the rumor
that there was "a mad dog or dogs in
the district of Columbia" and that
public saftey required the proclama-
ton. Commissioner Mcfarland says
that the best dog law known is that OF
London, which requires all dog owners
to have their pets registered and fur.
nished with collars bearing the names
of their owners, and imposes fine OF
500 upon any person keeping a dog
without complying with the regula'
tions. We have similar law for Wash
ington, but the fine is only $40.
"If our law were properly en-
Z forced" says Commissioner Macfar
land, "the uncared for, unlicensed dog
would soon disappear by the impound
ing system, and killing, so that there
would be no necessity for interfering
with the dogsthst are cared for, and ar,
therefore not dangerous" Acting upor
this conclusion orders have been ISSUED
by the poundmaster to increase his
force, capture and destroy all stray
dogs, and leave the household pets un
molested, except when they are com
planned of by neighbors as being sus
pected of savagery.
The poundmaster, or dog-catcher, a
he is usually called, does not believe il
the muzzle order, and he will not b.
over Jealous in it's enforcement, but HI
is after the tramp dogs with his wagons
: and nets and will endeavor to exter
inmate them. He says that the hydro
phobia theory is groundless, and tina
more men than dogs ought to be muz
zled." .'., SMITH D. FRY.