The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-13
nOGs INCREASE SLOWLY.
census shows Only About 100 More
Than Last Year.

Than Last Year.
,,cording to the figures at the City Elk
MOO savannahs canine population mas
..,,, increased 100 during the past year
,.,.,t, If Council Bailey says that the po-
~ found owners for 1000 dogs in their
,.,s1t rounds. against 1900 last year
,,-nen the police took the census only
,,, persons had paid the special tax OF 81,
the delinquent owners of CANNES were
--aced on the information docket. Since
time some !, 200 dog badges have been
i..,, ont. and the cases against the own
have been or will be dismissed.
,-rerk of Council Bailey has been tire
las in his efforts to have the owner OF
very dog in the city pay INTO the treas
The required amount, and this years
iis+ is the largest in the history of
U7 Nv At Yesterday Mornings session
police Court. Recorder Myrick called
VA iog cases, and equally as many Will
beard on next Tuesday. Every per-
those name appears on the blotter
,,n., either show a 1901 badge or pay the
sril a dollar. Quite number of dog
.,.nars moved just after the census was
taksn, or gave the wrong addresses ana
,,l noIice are busy trying to locate them.
drier Nvrick has issued orders that
ry oerson be arrested who ignores
,bo subnoena 10 appear in court and show
the badge.
Wv few persons returned more than
,r4 dog. although it is known that in sew
anal cases the number owned is larger.
inc man has paid for four dogs and this
=. the limit. Not few citizens find 1t
considerably cheaper to send their ca
,nes into the country when the census
aIt not IL
uavs escape by taking this step. Under
me- ordinance every dog that is in the
eit,, on Ian. / must be paid for. There is
no distinction made between a puppy and
fulI-erown dog, and the CANNES death
On the second day of the year does not
relieve the owner of the special tax. Sew
anal cases of this sort have already been
decided and there are persons holding
badges who do not own dog.
Many of those who pay for one or two
dogs are apparently in almost destitute
circumstances. Invariably they look as
if they are hungry, but manage to md
The amount required by the city. The
extensive luxury in such cases is almost
always yelping, yellow creature, whose
market value is less than cent. Under
the ordnance however, dog is dog,
and half rates are not allowed because a
canine does not happen to be up in dog
world.
Either the patrolmen who take the dog
census have a poor memory or there is
a trarnp dog in Savannah who has played
havoc with the records Not a few of
those who appear in Police Court de-
clare that they have not had a dog in
several years, and cannot understand how
the officer could have charged them with
such a crime. The officer is always sure
that he saw "a dog at the house in ques-
bn &c aS
tain that he never owned an animal OF
any solt These are the cases that puz-
zle Recorder Myrck, and sometimes he Is
uncertain what to do.
At first His Honor thought that some
runaway dog might have been playing
funny games with the police. Both sides
were so sure that the contrary condition
of affairs prevailed in the households in
question when the officers made their
rounds. that the court was beginning TO
believe that some mean yellow dog was
running ahead of the census taker, and
being counted dozens of times. His Honor
began to ask questions, and his theory
was knocked to pieces, unless there is a
wonderful dog in circulation in this city
it may be that such a canine escaped
from some freak establishment, and did
stunts during the taking of the census
just for the fun of the thing. If there is
such a canine it has the power of chang
ing its size and color with the rapidity
Of chained lightning This discovery was
made when the patrolmen did not give
the same description of the many dogs
that they charged they had seen. When
the statements of the officers and the
alleged dog owners could not be recon-
ciled, the Recorder ordered the officers
to visit the houses in question again, and
shoot all CANNES found on the premises.
No dogs have been killed as yet
To those persons who pay their dog tax
on Jan. l. the city allows a discount of
10 cents, but very few persons take adj
vantage of the offer This accounts for
the large number of docket cases made
each year, and of the careworn express
Ions OF Clerk Bailey and the Recorder
when the police have finished their work.
AS a rule those patrolmen who are on
the injured list and are unable to do &C.
tive duty, are put to taking the dog CEN
one. They are abused, both to their
faces and behind their backs, when they
attempt to do their duty. More than one
oflcer has had a door slammed in his
lace because he has put a dog on his
hook when the person who answered his
ring had stated positively that there
were no animals of any sort in the yard.
ne barking under cover the animal prob
soly being locked in a closet, has al
ways been sufficient evidence to the aver
age census teker, and without exception
cluzen becomes angered when patrol
'IaH oeHeVes the bark of a dog in prefer
ehce TO the voice of a human being