The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-04-14
New District Pound Is
To Be Erected Shortly
Plans for Building Completed, and Work VIA
Probably Start in May-How Present
Pound Is Conducted

yard. This yard Is about 100 feet long
and twenty-five feet wide. Along the
east side OF II are seven wooden pens
for dogs. On the opposite side are three
iron pens. The iron ones are used ordi-
narily. and the wooden pens are pressed
into service in case OF overflow.
These pens are under sheds which in
close the yard. In the west shed are
kept the two wagons which scour the
city daily for stray CANNES. There are
also stalls for the three horses main
talned by the pound
Each morning at O'clock one OF the
collection wagons starts out from the
little whitewashed shed. II Is manned
by three gum-shoe artists. One Is ].
Burreli. who occupies seat on the box;
other II John Wells, the colored man
CARRIED in overalls. who sits in a saddle
At the rear OF the wagon with one hand
on q great net and his rolling eyes wan
derins around for glimpse Of dog.
How Dogs Are Caught.
Untasged and unmuzzled dogs are cap
tured by the pound employees. As soon
as dog Is discovered, John Wells
springs from his saddle, and grabbing a
net, rushes In pursuit OF the canine. J.
Burrell follows. John throws the net
over the dog, and J. BurreII then grasps
the canine by the nape OF the neck. and
throws IT into the wagon, where a score
OF other dogs greet IT The man who
follows the wagon in a buggy is Emil
Kuhn, the poundmaster. He directs the
work.
The wagon usually returns to the
shadow OF the steep hill at or O'Clock
in the afternoon The dogs are trans
ferred from the wagon to the pens. and
the horse is unhitched and led to It's
stall
How long does it take to catch a
loadT' a stranger asked J. Burreil yes
terday afternoon.
wall. now" he replied. IF dogs Is
runnin' good, Il sometimes takes nc
more than two hours, but as a rule II
takes four or five."
A load Of dogs consists Of about TWEEN
ty-hve. There were twenty-six CANNES
In the pound yesterday afternoon. The
ordinary dogs are kept In captivity for
forty-eight hours. II they are not re-
deemed within that time. they are put to
death. The dogs may be redeemed by
the payment Of 81 at the District Health
Department II an unmuZZled dog bear
ing tag is captured, the name OF the
owner is traced by means OF the num-
Of the fate of the pet The dog is kept
four or five days, and IL no response to
the postal card Is received. It is likewise
put to death Valuable dogs or good
breed are usually kept a week or two
to give the owners time enough to To-
cate them.
All Breeds Represented.
Every species OF dog Is represented IN
he ~ ha
grel. puppey, whelp. and hound, and ours
OF low degree" All OF these dogs share
the same pens, and gamboI over the
same sawdust sprinkled areas. EacF
afternoon at O'Clock the dogs are rec
with raw meat They receive but on,
meal a day. A bucket or water is KEEP
In each pen.
The dogs fight and play and howl In
cessantly. and the barking may be hearC
for many yards around. At night 1
great canvass curtain Is let down In
front OF the pens, but stiI the animal,
continue to bark and howl, the weirc
sounds echoing from the hillside.
The hour Of execution is i O'Clock IN
the afternoon. Beside the three iroT
pens is the chamber OF death. II II
a CHASTITY, repulsive looking piece OF ap,
paratus. The chamber Is an airtignt
wooden box about six feet long. tnret
feet wide. and three feet high. lined witt
galvanized iron. At the end is a pom
derous door. In the top is a hatch. Two
sooty pipes lead from the top OF tnt
death chamber, and follow the ceiling
over the pens until they are lost Il
sight at the far end OF the shed. II
these pipes are traced, It will be discov
cred that they lead to a small stove In
a corner of the shed.
If fs I'm O'clOCE RmrreI
energies from the office. and crosses tbs
courtyard to the far end of the shed
He takes some charcoal from a sack
and soon has a fire smoking in the stove
After the fire is well started. the draf
is shut on. and the charcoal fumes arr
turned into the death chamber. J. Bur
rell walks to the pen, opens the door
and selects a fine looking collie. Tht
dog banks and then ticks the coloreC
mans hand thinking that the eXecu
TONER is playing.
Dead in Two Minutes.
]. BurreIl grasps the collie by the napt
OF the neck, thrusts him through thC
hatchway into the chamber Of death
and then closes the top. The charcoal
Is still smoking in the stove at the fal
end of the shed. The colored man takes
his watch from his shirt pocket anG
watches the minute hand attentively.
TWO minutes" he tnalIy mutters
and thrusting his watch into his pocket
opens the door at the end or the death
chamber. He reaches in and pulls out
the collie-dead. me dog Is thrown
into a metal receptacle. 1t is collected
under contract the following day anc
ground into fertilizer.
]. Burrell then returns to the pen and
selects another animal. Twelve or nj.
teen dogs go to their death each day in
this manner. During the last year AS
dogs were executed at the pound The
dog catchers captured 3,S1 CANNES or
the streets of the city. Two thousand
four hundred and ninety-seven OF the
dogs were untagged, and s36 were tagged