OWNERS AT FAULT

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXII, Issue 8871, 8 February 1943, Page 4

OWNERS AT FAULT

1 STRAY DOG NUISANCE NEED FOR THE S.P.C.A. SICK, NEGLECTED ANIMALS “The stray dog problem” which is causing concern in practical!} every town in New Zealand is fully surveyed in the following article which appeared recently in the Te Aroha News in the form of an interview with Mrs F. T. It. Gaw, of that town. Mrs Gaw contends that the solution of the nuisance is a little more care, attention and training on the part of the owners.

The article reads as follows: “There is definitely need for a Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in this town, for practical experience has long since suggested to us that while dogs are quite all right at most times, people are often rotten in their thoughtfulness and heartlessness# Mrs F. T. K. Gaw was talking about dogs and her account of many experiences with what is fast becoming known at local body meetings as “the stray dog problem” presented an arrestingly different point of view to ones which are so often heard expressed. It Is Not the Strays “Experience has taught ray husband and I—and we have handled practically every stray dog that has been in this town for a considerable time—that it is very seldom the real stray which causes -either damage or accident. It is rather the well-fed but undisciplined household dog who becomes the street pest. In these •days of refrigerators very little food is thrown out and there are no scraps for real strays to eat. As a result they become starving and exhausted

within a very short time and if they do not die from this cause alone, they ■'"are a prey for all sorts of diseases which usually prove fatal in their weakener condition. But it is obvious that these rea Istrays are not the cause of mischief —-they have not the strength left in them.” Going to be Difficult r . The difficulty of a local authority in dealing with the problem of “nuis-

ance” dogs in the street was dwelt upon in some detail by Mrs Gaw. In a city an all-over regulation to ihe effect that dogs must be kept on leashes should work very well. This, however, was still a country town and many dogs which passed through it were the working teams of drovers. To insist that they should be put on leashes was obviously out of the question. Again, stockmen's horses were often tied up and the dogs left to guard them.

Still more frequent, however, were the many country and small town dogs which had never been taught to either lead or to be tied up, yet these were not by any means of a “criminal” nature.

“In these cases any trouble is really the owner’s fault for all dogs should at. least be taught to tie up and respond to reasonable discipline, Mis Gaw added. “It is just another of those carelessnesses in owners of animals which can lead to serious results. A young dog in a town quickly forms the street-walking habit if he is not checked and teams in with others of his kind.

j “He should have a run for an hour j or so early in the morning and then be tied up until a suitable time—say after school —when he can have another couple of hours off the chain 'but be called back when he begins to wander. We have broken dogs off the street habit without any undue trouble. I fsuch a simple course as this is followed with a young dog there is little danger of him becoming a car-chaser or acquiring' any of the other bad habits which are so common.” Would Be Effective Raising the fees for town dogs would not be effective in the best sense, it was held, tor if this was done it would very likely deprive children of the pets which formed such an indispensable part ol the enjoyment, let alone character forming' influences of childhood. “And the hard-up boy or girl who might have a really nice, well-behaved dog would often not be able to keep him while a hetter-off person who might have a much less desirable animal would find it no bar, added Mi.Gaw. Thoughtlessness Makes Strays “1 have handled numbers of strays and the more t see of them the sor-

rier lam for them and lhe more indignant 1 am with the people who let them got into such a condition,” Mrs Gaw said as she returned to the question of strays proper. As is well-known, Mr and Mrs Gaw often give temporary haven to stray animals and have set some very sick dogs on their feet again after considerable expense to themselves. Some have been much too far gone for anything save merciful destruction, but others have been restored to health and have been found homes in the district. One dog indeed, found suffering from a dislocated limb, had had his lameness cured and has proved a wonderful help to a farmer in an outlying' district. Other Strays “Another was a Blue Boardie which the Rev. Father Murphy called my attention to.” said Mrs Gaw. “When 1 found him he was too weak and stupid from hunger to move out of the way of traffic, lie turned out to be a dog bred from show prize-winners and was returned to very relieved owners. The owners had gone to the beach for a holiday and the dog had been stolen from the person who was looking for him. Escaping from the thieves, he had tried to find his owners but bad reached the last extremity of exhausl ion.”

Others have been dogs which have been kept as playthings when in the prettiest of puppy stages but “dumped” in localities strange to them when they have reached the less pretty and more mischievous stage. This, as

every reasonable person will'agree, is the cruellest of all and Mrs Gaw told of a long list of experiences of this kind. Many of them had contracted distemper before they had been brought to her notice and little could be done in advanced stages hut to ease their passing. Others, however, were curable cases and in the end homes were usually found for them. How Can They Do It? ■' 1 don’t know how people can do it and it is the kind of thing where a branch of the S.P.C.A. is badly needed, ''or dogs are only a small part of the animal population of a district such as i his.” Mrs Gaw said. “Some owners. of course, do the very best they i.*an at all times but. I have seen some

terrible things happen with animals which are really quite valuable. So many cases of slight sickness become aggravated through neglect and carelessness. Some people, in fact, have been known to drive sick animals away from their homes and not only do they die terrible deaths themselves but- they also often infect healthy animals. “ Weeks Of It ” “There’s been a lot of distemper about and I’ve had weeks of being called out to dogs, or having them brought to me, when it is too late to do anything- about it, but I think we’ll he able to save him,” she added, speaking of a dog well-known to the reporter. “Ami then I suppose there’ll be another ” The “other” arrived just on the words for a small girl carried in a very little puppy in the last stages of exhaustion. “I picked it up down the road and I thought it might lie yours.” she said.

The puppy, which had long since passed the stage of being able to stand, lay on the floor without lifting its head. A slight discharge around the eyes suggested the earlier stages

of distemper. This illustration, however, lias a happier ending than that. When a young puppy lias reached the stage oi complete exhaustion it is very hard to decide whether it has the disease or not. In this case the owners had left town and had given the puppy away. It. had fretted, however, and run away to its old home, practically dying in the effort to find its first owner.

The dear old lady smilingly approached the tobacconist with: “1 want some cigarette tobacco for my son.” “Certainly, madam,” said the tobacconist. “What kind would you like?” Oh, 1 forget its name,” re-

plied tlie old lady, “but it’s the tobacco my son says nearly everybody’s smoking now.” The tobacconist smiled. “Then this will be it,” lie said, handing over a tin of Riverhead Gold. “That, madam,” he continued, “is the finest cigarette tobacco money can buy. It’s quite harmless, too, because being toasted by a special process, it’s practically free from nicotine.” The old lady beamed. “I am sure that must he the tobacco by son wants,” she said. “1 suppose you sell a lot of it?” “Any amount,” replied the tobacconist, “you see, it’s everybody’s favourite.” Well pleased, the old lady smilingly departed. Riverhead Gold, as all who “roll their own” know, is one of the live famous toasted brands: Riverhead Gold, Desert Gold, Pocket Edition, Navy Cut No. :> (Bulldog), and Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshcad). As several worthless imitations are about —be careful when you buy.