Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-09-15
Sheep and Dogs.
THE VALUABLE ANIMAL SACRIFICED TO
THE WORTHLESS CUR-DOG LAWS NO
PROTECTION.

| Ihe articles OF Dr. SWedu anu MI. DoW
on the sheep and dog question contain
valuable suggestions, but they do not 60
far enough to meet the situation in Con-
necticut. Our law like that of Maine
and probably most of the other New
England States, taxes every male dog 81
and every female dog several times as
much, and the sheep destroyed are paid
| for by the towns at a certain rate. But
as Mr.. Dow says, the law protects the
dogs far more than the sheep, which, in
fact, it does not protect at all, while the
dogs are virtually licensed to run at large
and do all the damage they please at the
cost of 81 head, only a small! fraction
of this damage generally being paid by
the towns. BY this arrangement the
State virtually pays for the annihilation
of a most valuable industry. The law
is absolutely worthless for the protec-
ton of sheep, though it brings some
revenue to the towns. The farmer wants
protection, not damages. 1t is estimat-
eel that there were once over 100000
sheep in the State of Connecticut. AL
most every farmer had his flock. Now
You will scarcely find flock in days
Journey. The only two tlocks know OF
are small, and the owners OF both have
cases against the towns for damages by
dogs.
One million dollars year is a low es-
innate of the loss which the people OF
Connecticut suffer in the loss of the
sheep industry by worthless dogs, and
the cost of feeding the dogs, deaths from
rabies and the manning of children and
others through the attacks of savage
dogs are not included in the estimate.
1t is right to say: ''Make dog
property and compel the owner to keep
him on his own premises" 1t is the
greatest folly to allow that one of our
domestic animals which is the most
dangerous, which can scale every fence
and escape from the scene of his mischief
most easily, to go at large at the price
of 81 head. Bnt it is not enough to
say: "Allow anybody to kill with inn
punity such as are not restrained"
Kill a dog under these circumstances
and you make his owner your enemy for
life and yourself the object of his venge-
ful spite. Those who keep dogs to run
ut large are not always noted for their
careful conscientiousness or their acute
sense of justice, while they often have
kind of morbid sensitiveneSS about their
dogs, so that no one cares to incur their
eumity by killing them. AS a matter
of fact, nobody does kill the unregister-
ed dogs in Connecticut as any one has
the right to do.
Declare that dogs not kept on the own
er's premises or under his immediate
control belong to nobody and are a
dangerous public nuisance, aud pay
bounty for killing them as you would
for killing wolves, foxes or skunks, were
they equally numerous. Then some
body would make business of killing
them, and, supported by the law and
lust public sentiment, could afford to
take the risk of such enmity as he might
incur.
Besides the great profit of the industry,
sheep are important to Connecticut as to
the other New-England States for many
reasons. They would keep down the
brush and briers and noxious weeds
which are everywhere overrunning our
pastures. They would be the surest, if
not the only effective, check to the
ravages of the railroad worm, which
threatens New England with the loss of
he apple. Probably not less than one.
half of the apple crop of New England
the present season will be destroyed by
this worm, which arsenical poisons cam
not reach. OF some varieties the whole
crop is regularly destroyed by this pest,
and only few varieties seem to be
entirely exempt. The only man know
who is not troubled in this way picks
up all the apples as they drop and feeds
them to his stock. This work the sheep
would do without pay and with profit to
themselves and their owners.
The above are only few of the advan-
tages which might be restored to Con-
necticut agriculture by the destruction
of the worthless dogs which are allowed
to forage at will in the public streets and
on private property.-Cor. New York
Tribune Farmer.