GARRARD AND HIS PETS.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 271, 17 November 1887, Page 5

GARRARD AND HIS PETS.

THE DOG-CATCHER-AT-LAW.

BETTER THAN AGITATING.

" Comb and see my dogs," said the dog catcher, Mr William George Garrard, to a Star reporter, and the representative o<. the fourth estate and the erstwhile unem. ployed agitator walked over to the kennels behind the City Market. William George had apparently made a big haul, for there was a tremendous yelping and barking going on, and a close inspection showed no less than 23 dogs imprisoned. "I've got some real good dogs in," said the keeper; " there's six fox terriers, real genuine 'uns," three retrievers, regular out and outers, one pointer,and two poodles, one spaniel, and the rest you can call 'em mongrels." " Business appears to be brisk," observed the reporter. " Yes; there's still a great many dogs about," replied William. "I've got them weeded out in the town, but there's plenty in the suburbs."

"What is the extent of your dog district, Mr Garrard?"

"Well, I goes to Newton, and as far as the commencement of Mouiit Eden, to Stanleystreet in Parnell, and to Cox's Creek, at Fonsonby." " How long have you been at this business ?" "Oh! about four months. I don't know how many dogs I have run in, but there was a lot. I shou'd say 130 have been drowned, about the same number sold, and there's been about 50 or 60 released by their owners." "What does it cost to release a dog ?" " Well, the office charges so much a day, seeing as how long they's been in the kennels, and the collars is 5s since the beginnin' of the year." " Yon get paid at the rate of so much per dog, I believe, Mr Garrard ?" " Oh, no, they asked me what I would do it for that way, but I didn't like it. At first I got 4s a day, and now I get 5s ; they give me a shillin' extra afterwards.' " That's better than being an unemployed agitator, is it not ?" " Yos," said William. "Someofthemenare at me frequently yet, and I know some hard cases, but* I done my duty by 'em, and now they must look for somebody else to speak, for 'em."

" There are still a large number of unem-, ployed, are there not?" " Yes ; worse than when the Thames fixst broke out. I have seen it all, and it's come just as I told 'em. Them wats got ca,pital doesn't see their way to invest it and get any interest, and there's some men who will cast their vote away for a long boer rather than put the right man into ofliee to do others justice. I've been here seen it all along," .;'-.:,'. ■■„„■>

" Well, let's return to the dogs. How do you catch them ?" " You tee if it's a little fellow I picks him up and takes him under my arm. If he's a big un I just grab hold of him by the back of the neck, and slip the ropo over his head." " Do you often have any trouble with the owners ?"

" Often. But when I get the rope round the dog's neck they can pull away as hard as they like. As I told one party, she was only trying to pull her own dog's head off, and it was no good to her."

*' What is the story about the lawyer's dog ?"

" I collared a fine dog belonging to a gent as was going away to Sydney. Says he, ' Garrard, that's my dog. . Says I, ' Sir, I know it is, and I'm going to lock him up.' Says he, ' Garrard, do you know who lam 1 I'm a barrister at law, and I'm going to Sydney by the steamer to night.' ' Well,' says I, ' if you're n barristei-at-law, I'm the dog-catcher-at-law, and I don't care if you're going to England.' And his dog was locked up, and it fetched 235."

William George was evidently very proud of this incident, and rubbed his hands in high glee at the recollection of his little joke. Having seen the dogs, which included some very fine animals, our reporter wished the keeper "good-day," and continued his tour of investigation in another direction.