STRAY DOGS.

Waipa Post, Volume 36, Issue 2149, 26 April 1928, Page 4

STRAY DOGS.

Sjr,—As a freqeunt sojourner in your town I have been particularly struck by the apparent tolerance of the- community, and especially the civil authorities, towards the numerous stray dogs in the streets. As an animal lover myself I wish to bring before the notice of other animal lovers (and when I say animal lovers I mean those of the active, not oi the passive, kind) the number of poor stray dogs that roam around the highways—homeless, lost, and so weary and sad, with nowhere to go for a bed or a meal, hunted from pillar to post, until they eventually become quite stupid with fear. Within the last lew days this has been brought forcibly to my notice in your town. At the present time a collie dog is wandering homeless, and has, I am told, been for weeks hunted until he is now too afraid to allow anyone to touch him. Sometimes animals wander so xar from their homes that only by adver- ' tising can one hope to find their owners. I would urge all animal lovers to keep a friendly eye on stray dogs, and endeavour to restore them to their owners. Where the interests of animals clash with our "spoyt or " gains " each istep has to be fought •by their friends. Let all who have the welfare of animals at heart make ? determined stand against all forms of cruelty. Those who have " not the time " to spare for this work may be so fortunate as to have the " money to help. Is there anyone who cares enough to find shelter for the poor, hunted, starving creatures that roam the streets? The dogs are doing no good, I grant you; or are they doing much harm, except to scatter fleas for eventual lodgment on peoples clothes. I heard one well-to-do man only last evening roundly condemning other people for allowing their dogs to wander at will in the streets day and night, and I thought he for one would contribute a "fiver" towards giving a dog or two a new home or a humane death. Some peonle complain of disgusting sights in the streets—and they have had good reason lately to riefer to this matter—but until the eivic authorities appoint an otticial dog-catcher and a destructor such sights'will continue. I am not a permanent resident or I would do my best'to assist in creating a healthy

public interest in dogs—that is, good trained dogs—and put the others out of misery.—I am, etc., CLEAN THE TOWN.