The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-04-13
HOW LICENSING THE DOG
SERVES THE FARMER

MADISON Personal contract
with the local situation in various
counties indicates that large num-
Der of citizens do not yet understand
the purpose of the dog and stock law,
and particularly that feature of the
law pertaining to licensing of dogs"
said o. P. Lehner of the S tate de-
partment of agriculture.
"For example there are many
who still feel that the dog licensing
feature promulgated by this depart
ment is just another tax measure in
disguise, but this is not so.
Perhaps it would be well to set
forth again, briefly, the object of dog
licensing, by comparing the dog /
censing system with similar sys-
tenn. A farmer, for instance, i'm
proves a patch Of ground, buys
some stock, builds a house and barn
so that his family may live in COM
narrative comfort and his stock may
be in a measure at least protected
and sheltered, bearing in mind the
idea of protection. Even before the
buildings are completed he secures
fire insurance against possible loss
through the destruction of his pro-
perty by fire.
In the past those engaged in stock
raising and dairying sustained losses
through injury and death inflicted
upon their stock and fowl by vagrant
and vicious dogs. Before passage
of the dog law, the dog owner being
either insolvent or unknown in a ma
jority of cases the farmer whose
stock or fowl was injured or killed
sustained the loss. He was without
redress.
A law was needed which would
create a fund out of which damages
could be paid to those suffering such
losses. The solution of this serious
problem was found in the enactment
of the Dog and Stock Law by the
legislature of 1919 and which, re-
enacted in slightly modified form in
1921, in force at this time.
AS fire insurance policy protects
the holder against financial distress
through the destruction of his build
ings, so the dog and stock law pro-
vides and secures him against tinan-
cial loss through the ravages of dogs.
The dog license is not a tax measure
in disguise, but premium that keeps
in force form of insurance on stock
and fowl.
The dog license fee of $1.OO or
$780,, depending upon the sex OF the
dog, is collected for the purpose OF
creating and making available an
adequate fund to compensate the
farmer for losses sustained by in
Jury or death of his stock or fowl
by reason of the dog industry. BY
so licensing all dogs, in order to
make the fund available and ade-
quate, the farmers are assured OF
profession and compensation, regard
less of the ability of the individual
dog owner to pay for damages done
by his dog.
Where the injury or death OF any
stock or fowl is traceable to dogs,
claim for compensation may be filed
within ten days. The claimant
should write a letter t othe clerk
of the town in which damage oc-
cured, stating full details of the
loss. If the owner of the dog is
found the county pays the fullamount
of the loss, and in turn can sue for
recovery from the dog owner. In
cases where the owner of the dog is
unknown, the claimant is paid eighty
per cent of the loss.
The dog and stock compensation
feature is of mutual nature. Fiji
teen per cent of the fees collected
are sent to the state treasurer for
use in administration of the dog law.
At the end of the year all unused
surplus is returned to the counties,
which surplus amounted to almost
ninety five per cent last year. This
money, together with the unused por-
ton remaining in the iounty treas
ury, is prorated back to the towns,
| villages and cities for any use which
they see fit.
The primary purpose of the dog
law is to protect the farmer repay
his losses land control dogs that
would otherwise run at large.