NOTES BY TERROR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2231, 3 December 1896, Page 35

NOTES BY TERROR.

• . • The fanciers at Home are advocating affiliation of kindred kennel bodies with the English Kennel Club. America is abont to affiliate with the ruling doggie body, and New South Wales has already done so. New Zealand kennel clubs would do very much worse than follow. There is no doubt that if all the kennel clubs affiliated throughout the British Empire it would be for the benefit of the fancy. Generally I cannot see why this could not bs achieved. * . ' It is much to be regretted that there •hould have been cases of sheep-worrying by dogs at the A. and P. Society's recent show. It is a very strange thing that owners of valuable sheep should leave their property unguarded in a strange place. I believe that at the late Dunedin dog show a local owner of imported dogs insisted on one of his own men being, present at nights to^watch his property. • . • In view of the above I think it is quite appropriate to quote tho following passages on sheep-worrying from English files :—": — " If dogs could speak they would probably be able to make a gcod defence for their worst offence — that of sheep-worrjiog. Tbe sheep is such a fool that in most cases it brings its fate upon itself; and if tbe matter could be investigated we feel sure that a young dog invariably acquires his taste for sheepworrying through being ' led on to do it ' by the sheep themselves. The other day we were watching a young collie dog following two ladies across a field full of sheep. The fleecy fools kept closing in behind the dog with silly demonstrations -of hostility, and whenever he stopped and turned round they broke and fled in the most tempting manner for pursuit. Several times the puppy could stand it no longer, and started off, recalled by its mistress, and eventually they passed out of the field, leaving the sheop in a semicircle round the gate waiting for another dog to irritate. The bestintentioned dog in the world could not be fairly • expected to resist such temptation unless accompanied by someone who had him under control ; and we are confident that this is the way in which sheep-worrying is learnt. Besides, the sheep when pursued commit such absurdities of terror, dashing into thick-set hedges aud jamming themselves into inextricable difficulties, that out of sheer excitement the dog seizes them, and as often as not the sheep bill themselves by rushing into a pond and getting drowned or breaking their limbs over obstacles. Only the other day a flock at Banskill were hunted by two dogs, and although not a singl* sheep was bitten, 14 of them were smothered because the whole flock crowded up into the corner of the field. If, then, a fair balance of responsibility for sheep-worrying were struck between the dog and his victim, the instinct of the latter to run away would be found to have more to do with the matter than the dog's inatinot of pursuit. We cannot, however, expect the law to take this view of the matter, although it is as well sometimes to point out that the dog even in his most criminal bioods is not as black as he is painted. •• Again, » short while ago a flocfeof 148 gheep belonging to Mr Upton, farmer, of Newfcimber, Sussex, were safely secured pn the Farm premises for the night, but of this numbeEJio lesa than 84 were discovered dead tue

nexb morning, having been hunted by a dog during the night. The sheep were crushed to death in trying to escape, all of them being haddled ap in one corner. Thirty more were so badly injured that they had to be killed. The loss, which was put down at £200, has been made good to the farmer by public subsoription. Now note in the foregoing thai; the cheep were ' safely secured on the farm premises ' tbe previous evening, but that nevertheless a dog was able to enter and to hunt about the silly creatures until 84 of them killed themselves by crushing into a corner. Will any other class of property worth £200 be left out of doors at night P One would imagine that either some precautions would be taken to provent the entry of marauders or that a guard— human or canine— would be left with it. Nothing could be easier than to train sheepdogs to guard sheep at night against thieves or strange dogs. Under the circuncstanoes it is not fair to saddle the dog and its owner with the entire responsibility for the mischief." • . • A police sergeant at Ball&craim has a dog which almost deserves to be enrolled in the force. The other day fcbe dog was with his master out for a walk whaa he was heard barking furiously at one or two men by the side of the road. On the arrival of the sergeant one of tbe men was found to have picked the pocket of the other, and it was this aotion which had caused the dog to bark. • . • It is stated m England that the revenue hue suffered by tbe substitution of a tax on dogs in place of that on horses. As a matter of fact we believe that the dogs now contribute over half a million pur annum, a figure which the horses never reached in their best year. *.• A' cabman was- charged the other day at Harldra with 'contravening the muzzling order. Ho said in defence : " It's nob me. I don't; like a dog. .1 wouldn't have a dog ; not me. I've beeu bittea twice by dogs, and have been caulerised. I have never had a dog, and never would. No, I wouldn't pay for a license. I turned the brute out when I came home, and haven't seen him since." . * Dr Nanaen attributes his failure to discover the North Pole to his having an insufficient number of dogs to draw his sledges ; and at the same time London discovered it had 40,000 dogs too many. • . • The well-known collie dog champion Stracathro Ralph is dead, having succumbed to kidney disease. He was bred and owned by Mr Morton Campbell, was by champion Christopher ex Stracathro Fancy, and was 8 years old at the time of his death. He was remarkably successful in his time as a show dog, and had great influence at the stud. • . • Mr Moiton Campbell, who is mentioned in the above clip, will be remembered as visiting New Zealand. | ' . *In an English court the other day the defendant, a lady, took off her dog's muzzle to show how harmless her little pet was, and it promptly bit a policeman. * . * This is how the American Field describes the dog-poisoner :—": — " That fitnd who disgraces thß human f»mily — the dog-poieoner — who is execrated by dog-owners and detested by all lovers of man's faithful canine friend and servant, recently took up his dirty work in Indiana. It is difficult to comprehend the brutality of the wretch who will deliberately poison the dogs of his'fellow-citizens ; but such \ exist unfortunately, and if the men of Bedford have a spark of spirit they will bend their energies to unearthing the dastardly poisoner in their midst, and visitiug upon liim the punishment he deserves. Twenty-three canine, victims in two days ! Many a man has been sent to his final account for a less heinous offence." With the exception of the suggestion of lynching in the concluding sentence, mosb of us will agree with the spirit of these remarks ; for, with the exception of poisoning our children, there is no dirtier or more despicable form of cnminal spite than that which seeks to wound us through the sufferings of the animals we love.