Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-01
MUZZLING DOGS
IS ONLY CURE
RABIES RAPIDLY STAMPED OUT
IN ENGLAND
eoYs ARE BITTEN BECAUSE OF
THoUeHTLEss CONDUCT
Not Many Dogs Are "Msd," Accord
ing to Local Woman Who Has
Made Study of the
Situation


wife of Luther Hasley Gulick, who ad-
dressed the Teachers association in
Los Angeles last week, contains a
chapter on dog bites which is especial
1y pertinent and valuable at the pres
ent time in its application TO the local
situation. 1t is given in full:
During the month of June, 1908, l
received 332 clippings from the news
papers telling about people who were
bitten during that month by dogs. OF
these 219 were boys, 100 were girls and
13 were grown people. Why were there
over twice as many boys bitten as
girls? And why so few grown peo-
pie? Perhaps the two notices I am
going to quote will suggest an an
swer:
George 'Hanes was the victim of an
enraged dog yesterday, and as result
is suffering from a number of bad
bites The boy was walking along the
street and in passing a butchers
wagon kicked at a dog belonging to
the butcher. The dog was eating
bone and resented the blow. He at
tackled the boy, and before he could
be dragged away the dog had torn his
hands and face badly. The wounds
were cauterlzed."
walter Warren was sitting on a
stoop playing with a big mongrel dog,
when something the boy did angered
the animal, and it attacked him. The
dog managed to reach his face and
buried it's fangs in his right cheek.
The other children fed, screaming
with terror. The cry of mad dog
was soon raised, and there was much
excitement. Several men came to the
boys rescue. He was taken to hos
pital, and there his wounds were
cauterized and dressed.
Most of the boys bitten were be-
tween and IL years old. Have you
not noticed that boys of about that
age like to see what dog will do?
Boys love dogs, and they do not realize
the danger there is in NEEDING with
strange dog Most girls are more
cautious than their brothers Older
people know better and have learned
to leave dogs alone.
The fact is that boys bother dogs
more than girls and grown-up people
do. Biting is a dogs only means of
self-defense. He must bite to protect
himself
The newspapers call most of these
dogs that bite children mad" but this
is not true Dogs are children's play
mates. They play ball, run, jump and
are happy or disappointed, as the case
may be. They resent harsh treatment
Just as human beings do. 1t is just
as much the dogs nature to bite If
it is tormented as it is a boys nature
. 90 fight if he is i'll used
Dogs Seldom "Mad"
Mad" dogs are uncommon. Many
good people believe that there are none
ana that there is no such disease as
rabies or hydrophobia. Yet Scientific
men tell us that there is, and everyone
breads it so much that whenever dog
begins to act queerly people say i'm
mediately that it is mad.
The agents of the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals say
that rabies is so rare that they have
no fear of it. They probably handle
more dogs than any other group of
people in the world. Agents have been
bitten more than $4,000 times by dogs,
yet never has a case of hyprophobia de-
veloped from these bites. This may be
due in large degree to the fact that
they know at sight a rapid dog from
other dogs. 1t is their business to take
care of dogs. Notice the picture of IA
dog ambulance.
A mad dog never yelps or barks. If
he makes any sound it is howl, said
to be impossible to describe, but never
forgotten when once heard" A mad
dog never froths at the mouth. A
brown, ropy mucus hangs from his
mouth, which he often tries to paw off
with his forelegs. A mad dog never
runs about much He is usually alone
anu JO5S 1AOlA5 SACNAy AAOAAi pave ~
place, paying no attention to things
unless they come his way. He is sup
posed to dread water, but he does not.
He will plunge his head into it and
viii cross streams if they lie across
his path. In the l9St stages of the dis
ease he can't swallow water, and 1t is
difficult for him even to lap it.
The disposition Of a dog changes if
he is mad A frisky dog is apt to be-
come quiet, and the quiet dog is apt to
become frisky. There are no more
cases Of rabies in the summer time
than In winter. There is no mad dog"
season to fear.
We can stop having rabies or mad
dogs in our country in a short time If
we are willing to do as they have done
in a number of European countries.
They have had no rabies in England
for nine years. The authorities there
issued an order that all dogs should be
muzzled when let out of doors. Any
dogs found unmuzzled, unless held by
a leash, were captured and the owners
were fined; or if the owners could not
be found the dogs were killed. In a
short time they had no rabies. Study
the following:
Steady Decrease Noted
You can see that in 1889 England
had 312 cases of rabies. In this year
an order to muzzle the dogs was made.
The disease steadily decreased until in
1892 (three years later) there were only
thirty-e eight cases. The authorities
thought that they had the disease un-
der control and allowed the dogs their
freedom again. But rabies was not
entirely removed and from the thirty
eight cases left the disease rapidly in \
creased, until in 1S95-in only three
years time-there were 672 cases
Again the authorities became alarmed !
and again issued the order to have all
the dogs muzzled, with the result that
in 1900 there were no more cases. !
Rabies was stamped out of England.
We need to do something. In d90S
the United States department of Jag
riculture made a study of this sub
ject; it was discovered that the disease
is increasing here in America OF all
infectious diseases this is the easiest
TO stop.
We do not like to see dogs puzzled.
1t seems unkind. No one person sees
mad dogs often enough to make it
seem important to protect ourselves so
strictly against them. / have never
seen one, and I doubt If many who
read this book have. But If we think
about 1t with the future in mind, muz-
zling our dogs will no longer seem
an act Of unkindness. Inj three years
time the disease could be stopped,
and all dog suffering ann human suf-
fering from this caus9 would cease.
Also an end would be Put to the fear
- do,s ,r,biot, fs ofto1 an great as IN