WAIFS AND STRAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 117, 13 November 1935, Page 6

WAIFS AND STRAYS

CANINE AND FELINE

WORRYING OF SHEEP

More rigid control of the registration of dogs and determined steps in the direction of finding a solution of the stray cat menace were advocated by Colonel G. Mitchell, president of the Wellington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, at the annual general meeting of the society last night._ "The society is concerned," said Colonel Mitchell, "at the number of dogs that are allowed to roam the streets at will, not only because of the numbers that meet with accidents and occupy the time of the inspector in attending to them, but also on account of the menace these dogs are to sheep, and the tremendous cruelty inflicted by those which develop the habit of worrying sheep. "Personally I have a known loss of over 40 sheep, besides lambs, cruelly worried by dogs during these last two months. The suffering of some of these sheep and lambs is appalling, quite apart from the financial loss. The dogs are not to blame. Unfortunately some people seem to think that once they own a dog they have no further obligation to the animal. .In numerous cases they are not controlled in any way, and in many cases not fed. The natural result is that they roam the streets and numerous accidents occur, and in other cases they go on marauding expeditions after sheep. "The society is of opinion that the time has certainly arrived when the owner should be licensed to keep the dog, and no licence granted where the owner is not providing proper facilities and does not control and properly look after the animal. The fact that all the dogs that have been destroyed when found worrying sheep have no collar shows either laxity in registration or that people deliberately leave the collar off. I am inclined to think that the former is the case, and that if the registering local body gave the collector a liberal bonus on every dog

registered there would be few unregistered dogs. "The same problem has faced the committee in regard to stray cats People allow cats to breed almost a I will, and when vacating a house in many cases leave the cat behind, until today the. stray cs,t menace is continually drawn to che notice of the society by those to whom the animals have become a nuisance." Asked what steps had been taken regarding the registration of cats, Colonel Mitchell said that the society had no authority to act on its own account, but the City Council had been approached on the subject. However, it would require an Act of Parliament before any definite advance could be brought about.