SHEEP-WORRYING PREVALENT

Chronicle (Levin), 7 November 1946, Page 5

SHEEP-WORRYING PREVALENT

CRUSADE AGAINST DOGS Describing themselves as vigilantes, soveral farniers in the New Plymouth . Court on Monday admitted a crusade agaiust she.ep-worrying dogs on urban lands in the borough of New Plyniouth (states the Taranaki Daily News). iSome sheep, they said, had been killed and others mutilated. Photographs were produced to support their statements. ' ' This is the story of a little Po'meranian belonging to Constable W. Chapman/ ' said Senior-Sergeant "W. J. K. Brown. The charge against Aiphonso Wood, retired farmer, who admitted shooting the dog, was that he used a lirearm within the borough without the eonsent of the borough eouncil. Taking all the circumstances into eonsideration, Mr. W. H. Woodward, B.M., convicted Wood and ordered him to pay 10s costs. Seeurity for appeal was lixed at the payment of costs plus a £7 7s fee. ' ' This is a serious matter for sheep-owners in the urban areas of New Plymouth, ' 1 Mr. W. Middleton said in making the application. Act and By-law A main point raised during the hearing was whether the by-law prohibiting the use of iirearms without permission, was repugnant to the Dog Eegistration Act, 19U8. This, counsei pointed out. gave a person the right to destroy a dog worrying sheep or poultry, and another clause permitted the destruc' tion of dogs found running at large ■-among cattle or poultry. lu certaiu circumstauces, Mr. Woodward said, there might be a contradietion between the by-law and the general law. If the by-law was disobeyed in sucli circumstances he would not inflict a penalty. In this case, however, there was no repugnancy. The dog was not "at large" among or attacking the sheep. It was obviously a toy dog, and the children it. was with were calling it oif. Wood had not seen the dog on his property before, and he did not lcnow whether the dog was barking at the children, not at the sheep,- as it might have been. "There could be no suggestion that the little dog was worrying the sheep/ Wenior-Hergeant Brown said. "Wood ruthlessly shot the dog without attempting to call it off. " Constable W. J. Chapman said Wood agreed the dog would not have been big enough to worry the sheep. It weighed 81b. Wood said the dog chased the sheep, but he admitted it had not damaged thern. Later the magistrate said: "If at anv time it is proved in this court that a dog has destroyed sheep or is running at large with them I shall do everything I can to sujxport the person shooting it. The vigilantes will lind me verj sympathetic. "