ALSATIAN DOG BILL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22389, 8 April 1936, Page 17

ALSATIAN DOG BILL

Sir, —If the Alsatian were the dangerous and useless menace he is sometimes said to he, surely the community would long ago have taken the simple steps necessary to eliminate him our midst. That this has not been done makes the position clear; when any serious attempt is made to introduce restrictive legislation, the authors and sponsors are faced with such a mass of evidence vindicating this breed that they are forced to the conclusion that no fair-minded community would authorise the drastic restrictions that have been suggested. Mr. Boyd has surely allowed his pen to run away with him when he says he considers "the Alsatian is more than quarter-bred wolf, he is near half-bred." The bestknown authorities deny categorically that there is any wolf blood in the Alsatian. Probably the wolf-blood myth arose from the unfortunate change of name just after the war from "German shepherd dog" to "Alsatian wolfhound." There are bad characters among Alsatians as in all other breeds, and there is already ample legislation to deal effectively with these. I doubt if any experienced sheep farmer would agree that one Alsatian is equal in destructive power to six ordinary dogs. As regards their utility, there are quite a number working sheep and cattle satisfactorily in this country, but for the most part they are from strains developed for companionship and protection, in which they are unexcelled. In Australia, where anti-Alsatian propaganda has reached great heights, rapidly increasing numbers are being used for police work. An increased registration fee would probably be beneficial in discouraging the keeping and breeding of Alsatians by those who are not really fond of them and capable and willing to look after them properly. But no dog-lover will agree that any one breed should be muzzled where others are not. This would be monstrous cruelty, and would, I hope, be strenuously opposed by the R.S.P.C.A. To deprive an animal of all means of defence and expose him to the attacks of all and sundry is surely inconceivable in a civilised community; the suggestion can only have been made without due consideration of what it involves. In conclusion, there is no evidence that the Alsatian, as such, is undesirable. Any individuals not sufficiently under control, any "outlaws," in fact, that are a menace, or even merely' a nuisance, to the general public or their livestock, should be ruthlessly suppressed. For this there is already ample provision. M. A. Black.