IMPORTANT TO OWNERS OF DOGS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9326, 29 January 1896, Page 3

IMPORTANT TO OWNERS OF DOGS.

+ In the case of Watson v Gardiner, the following judgment was delivered in the Magistrate's Court yeeterday by Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M. :—"This is a case in whioh the plaintiff claims from the defendant th« Bum of £7, as the value of a dog killed bj the latter. The main faots are admitted, but on behalf of the defendant it is urged that the plaintiff cannot recover, as the defendant was strictly within hia legal rights in destroying the doe under section 13 of the Dog Registration Act, 1880. This section runs as follows:—'Dogs without collars haviug the proper registration labels thereon shall, prima facie, be deemed to be unregistered, and any person or his ageut upon whose land euoh dog may be found, or any person authorised by the looal authority, may destroy any such dog. . It is admitted in this case that the dog was running oollarless upon defendant's land, and it appears to mc that this at onoe gave the right to the defendant, if he ohose to exercise it, to destroy the dog. I cannot interpret the seotiou otherwise than strictly, and it appears to mc no answer at all to contend that the dog was only there for a very short time. By allowing dogs to run without collars the owners incur the risk of having them destroyed without remedy. Judgment is for the defendant, but I shall allow no costs, as it appears to mc therf was no reason whatever for killing the dog. , Mr Creeswell appeared for the plaintiff J Mr Fisher for the defendant.