DOGS IN THE COUNTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 45, 23 February 1937, Page 6

DOGS IN THE COUNTRY.

Letters and interviews upon the treatment of sheep and cattle dogs appearing In our columns recently have come a.s a shock to the community. It has generally been assumed that these animals, whose intelligence is almost human, received treatment commensurate with the usefulness of the ta*ks they perform, and that their job done they were decently fed and cared for. Many of them are, but the other story told by our correspondents is humiliating, and a reproach which should be removed immediately. When the president of a Collie Club is prepared to endorse the complaint of a visitor, and to say that the position is capable of a 200 per cent improvement, the need for action is plainly evident. The sheep dog on the range must be under constant discipline; he cannot be mollycoddled and petted, but he can be given a dry place to sleep and something better than offal for food. \lt is suggested that the prevalence of hydatids in sheep dogs is due to the method of feeding. If this be so, something better should be provided, if only for the reason that hydatids are not confined to dogs alone. Even the townsman knows how expertly a properlytrained dog can handle sheep; the motorist meets instances daily in his travels, and it is hard to imagine that such useful animals could be ill-treated. The great majority are well cared for and adequately fed; it is to bo hoped that the attention now drawn to the sufferings of the rest will awaken the owners to a sense of their responsibility and to the need for properly looking after their teams.