ILL-TREATING A DOG.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12859, 6 May 1905, Page 7

ILL-TREATING A DOG.

CLAIMED TO HE A THICK DOC. Two young men named Patrick Rice and Kenneth Gardiner were charged with cruelly ill-treating a dog by causing it to fall from a height of 14ft, Mich fall causing pain. Mr. Brookfteld prosecuted on behalf of the Society lor the. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Mr. F. K. Baume defended.

Thomas Turner, traffic inspector, said he saw a man will) a small fox terrier in ins arms climbing up Ibe hoarding in front of the library. He was unable to get up. ami handed the dog to another man. who placed it. cm the too. The man called the dog, who, after a little persuasion, jumped and fell on the kerbing. The dog commenced to howl, ami one of the defendants held the dog so that it could not make a noise. The dog, however, bowled hideously with pain. The man Rice gave him a wrong name. The excuse they gave him at the time was that it. was an accident.

ih. Baume: Did you see Gardiner try to catch the dog?—lie held bis arms out, but did not attempt to do it.

You know this is a jumping dog';— No. Mr. Baunie, to the Bench, .-.aid he would like to demonstrate in Court that tin; dog was a jumping don, hut ihe magistrate would not allow it.

.lames Archer gave corroborative evideuce. In answer to the Bench lie said the dog had eitiiei to jump from the hoarding or stop there. Mr. Baume said Ihe dog was a trick dog, and one. of its specialities was jumping from a. height. Gardiner had endeavoured to catch the dog. The dog did not look a- if it was ill-treated. .Mr. Baume then put the dog on a. table, unci il instantly jumped into the arms of Gardiner, who was some feet away. Gardiner corroborated the statement by Mr. Baume as to the dog being a trick dog. On this occasion he held out, his arms to catch the dog, but it slipped through, but lie caught is by tie' feel. The dog jumped 12ft or Hit, and his highest jump was front 16ft.

In answei Lo Mr. Brookficld the witness said the dog howled because of the awkward way in which he. caught it. lie did' catch it before it touched the pavement.

A brother of the former witness .-aid the dog was a noted character in the neighbourhood of Symonds-street. It could do anything but speak. Mr. Brookficld: Probably if it could have spoken it would have objected to jumping from the boarding. Another witness-, said the dog would do anything, and, in fact, it was a circus in; it sell.

The magistrate -aid he thought (he young fellows had acted improperly. He did not think it was a bad case of cruelly. They should lake precautions io prevent: a, dog falling so as to hurl, itself. A tin" of i'Os was inflicted on each of the defendants.