New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-08
CALLS CATS A MENACE
General Manager of S. P. C. A.
Answers LederIe.
WILL TAKE CARE OF DOGS
Health Departments Threat Of
determination Not Neces.
sary, He Declares.

The Society for the Prevention OF Cruelty
to Animals believes Health Commissioner
Ledere will be satisfied with its statements
regarding the stray dog situation In this
city. The Health Commissioner has recent
ly Informed officers OF the society that so
many complaints had come to the depart
ment. as well as TO newspapers, about the
dog nuisance that unless II was shown that
the society could cope With the situation
the Health Department would begin a cruz
SADIE OF determination. This Commission
er Lederle said, would mean that the dogs
would be shot OH sight. and such a course
he did not care to take except as a last
resort.
Mr.. Horton. OF the society. said yester-
day that tho city was never freer Of stray
dogs than at present Collectors of the So
ciety, he added. were taking from four
teen hundred to fifteen hundred dogs and
cats from the streets every day. and he
said that IS per cent OF these were being
mercifully exterminated.
Every year at this time" said Mr.. Hor-
ton, there Is a mad dog scare. There is
nothing In it. The society is making a daily
collection of all stray dogs and cats. Last
year sixty thousand dogs were extermi
mated and two hundred and fifty thousand
cats. This year our figures will show an
even larger number"
Among those who complained 10 tho
Health Department recently about stray
dogs were q number OF residents OF the
Borough OF Richmond. In regard to these
complaints Mr.. Horton said:
In Staten Island. and for one reason only.
That is. the society has given that borough
a wide berth In the last few years because
OF the opposition OF the people at large to
the work II performs. Since Health Com
missioner Lederle has informed us of the
complaints We have gone ahead again. de-
spite the antagonism of so many residents
there. and have taken mp stray dogs three
DAYS a week. on the first day we got one
hundred
But It IS impossible TO do all We want
to in the Borough OF Richmond because OF
the opposition OF dog owners. AS soon as
our dog catchers start ont 10 gather In the
strays there is a wave Of protest. Street
car motormen. officials and others get busy
with telephones and Immediately all the
Following the recent crusade In staten
Island Mr.. Horton said the society had re-
ceived many protests, some from persons
who said they intended laying the matter
before their Congressman or before other
officials.
That is our reception in Staten Island,
said the soclets's general manager. mo
wonder there are stray dogs in that bor-
ough."
According TO Mr.. Horton there is more
TO be feared from the great abundance of
cats In New York than from the dogs.
While the society Is constantly working
TO have all dogs in the city licensed, It is
also DESTROYS of having such an ordinance
for cats.
THE cat is a household animal" said
Mr.. Horton. and is therefore n greater
carrier OF contagon than a dog There
are too many cats In New York. Under
a state law owners of dogs must pay
license or the dog may be seized but own
ers of cats pay none. BY reason Of this
the war against tramp dogs has been
going on for years, and consequently his
ranks are thinning and his annual progeny
decreasing. But cats have become in num-
Der as sands Of the sea"
The last time the Health Department
inspectors had orders TO shoot stray DOGS
on sight was Ia Commissioner Darling
toms administration. It was type Of
warfare which the Health Department had
no desire TO carry on, but the number Of
ownerless animals made It Imperative.
Commissioner Lederle, in informing the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals that such q crusade would have
TO be waged again this summer II II were
true that tho city was overrun with dogs,
said he disliked giving such an order and
hoped he would not have TO.