The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-06-18
The sheep.kiIIlna Doc.

Now begins the succession of items
like the following, taken from a Mont
pelier letter in the Free Press
Alderman Fitzgerald and Deadly
were at the residence of Frank II.
Town on Town hill Sunday to inves-
tigate the complaint entered by Mr..
Town of sheep owned by him having
been worried or killed by dogs. Such
complaints are unusually numerous of
late and indicate the need of a thin
ming out of vicious CANNES"
Cases are on record wnen Rutland
county farmers have been driven out
of the business of breeding and rails
ing sheep by the impossibility of pre-
venting dogs from worrying and des-
troying their flock. 1t is true that the
law provides for reimbursement OF
sheep-owners under these conditions.
but, when the animals thus destroyed
are blooded merinos, for instance, the
award by the town officers generally
represents a mere fraction of the &C
tual loss.
There is strong need of better en-
forcement of the law against unli-
censed ours. 1t is full, definite and
ought to be effectual, but in how many
towns is il rigidly enforced? After
providing a form of warrant against
dogs, mot licensed and collared ac-
cording to the proisions of this chap
ter" the statute provides:
Section 5635-Any person may, and
every police officer and constable shall
kill or cause to be killed such dogs
whenever and wherever found. Such
officers, other than those employed
under regular pay, shall receive one
dollar for each dog so killed, from
Their respective towns. etc
Tue failure to enforce this law pro-
baby accounts for nine out of ten
sheep-killing exploits, and it is high
tine that sheep-owners or wouldbe
shcep-owners insisted on its literal
enforcement
II is true that the person injured by
sheep-killing dogs may if he chooses,
proceed against the owners of the dogs
but the chance OF recovering twice
his damages and twice his costs sell
dom inspires an action so certain to
create neighborhood feuds and possib-
ly to miscarry. A possible solution
of the whole matter is suggested in
section 5646 of the same chapter
which says;
The town may bring an action of
tort against the owner or keeper of
a dog concerned in doing damage to
sheep, lambs. or other domestic ami
mails, in such town. which damage
the selectmen have ordered to be
paid, to recover the full amount there
of. to the use of such town.
The solution of the dog nuisance
lies in making the owner directly and
immediately responsible for all dam
age done by his dog, full damages if
licensed, double damages If unlicen-
sed The law. in tacitly admitting the
riglt Of dogs to enter upon pasture
aud worry sheep, creates a feeling of
responsibility that is fast turning a
useful and comfortable animal into a
bowling nuisance.
There are always about 90 per cent
OF the dogs in given town that are
not only worthless, but a menace to
person and property The strict en-
forcement of the existing law, with
perhaps a little more enacted law,
would perhaps make it possible for
Vermonters toutilize their thousands of
acres of side-hill. stony or half-wooded
pastures for maintaining sneep, now
practically wasted.
Make the dog an issue in your next
representative election-Rutland Her
aid,