Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-04-12
ABOUT THE new DOG LAW ROUND ABOUT THE COUNTY
HOW LICENSING THE DOG
SERVES THE FARMER

PERSONAL contact with the local SIT
uation in various counties indicates
that large number of citizens do not
yet understand the purpose of the dog
and stock law, and particularly that
feature of the law pertaining to IL
censing of dogs" said o. P. Lehner
of the state department of agriculture.
For example there are many who
still feel that the dog licensing fea-
is Just another tax measure in dis
guise, but this is not so.
Perhaps it would be well to set
forth again, briefly, the object of dog
licensing, by comparing the dog IL
censing system with a similar system.
A farmer, for instance, improves a
patch of ground, buys some stock,
builds house and barn so that his
family may live in comparative COM
fort and his stock may be in a meas
ure at least protected and sheltered,
bearing in mind the idea of protection.
Evn before the buildings are eomplet-
ed he secures fire insuranc against
possible loss through the destruction
| of his property by fire.
In the past those engaged in stock
raising and dairying sustained losses
through injury and death inflicted up
on their stock and fowl by vagrant
and vicious dogs. Before passage of
the dog law, the dog owner being eth
er insolyent or unknown in majority
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 ere
ate 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 leg
islature of 1919 and which, reenacted
in slightly modified form in 1921, in
force at this time.
"As a fire insurance policy protects
the holder against financial distress
through the destruction of his build
ings, so the dog and stock law pro-
vides insurance upon the stock and
FOWL owned by the farmer, and pro-
tects and secures him against finan-
cial loss through the ravages of dogs.
The dog license is not tax measure
in disguise, but premium that keeps
in force form of insurance on stock
and fowl.
depending upon the sex of the dog, is
SOl1CSbCo AoA LIE put POSC VI
and making available an adequate
fund to compensate the farmer for
losses sustained by injury or death
of his stock or fowl by reason of the
dog industry.
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 letter to the clerk of the town
in which damage occurred, stating full
"details of the loss. If the owner of
the dog is found the county pays the
full amount 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 collctd 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 sur
plus amounted to almost ninety-five
per cent last year. This money, to-
gether with the unused portion re-
naming in the county treasury, is pro
rated 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, and control dogs that would
otherwise run at large"