Farmers Discuss Dog Menace With County Council

Chronicle (Levin), 12 May 1949, Page 4

Farmers Discuss Dog Menace With County Council

Allhough a delegation from the Levin branch of Federated Farmers discussed the stray dog menace in the district with members • of the Horowhenua Cornity Council for nearly an hour at yesterday's meeting of the council, no solution to the problem was found. The deputation, consisting of Messrs H. J. Kilsoy, T. M. Read and D. A. Stewari, represented the meat and ' wuoi section of the organisation. Not only were the town dogs blamed for sheep wor'rying, but the deputadon a so laid responsibiiity at the feet of the dairy farmers5 animals. It was pointed- out that these aogs were seldom tie'd up at night and consequently roamed the countryside.

The ehairman of the council, Mr! A. M. Co.quhoim, remarked that several acts of worrying had been committed by sheep dogs. There had been a move on the paru of the meat and wool section of his organisatio'n to approach the council with a view to getting it to ensure that aJl' dogs w;ere registered, said Mr. Kilsby. It was also fe t that some power ■ should he [obtained to eiiminate useiess dogs. jBoth he and Mr. Read had had flocks worried recently, but for - tunate.y he (Mr. Kilsby) had been able to destroy two of the culprits. In this case, the dogs had belonged to a dairy -farmer. The pack which had attacked his flock had been led by a female dog, continued Mr, • Kilsby, adding that a larger . fee Ifor the registration of this sex might help solve ihe problem. He |asked if the ranger could not be given power to destroy any unregistered dogs. The other speakers' remarks were 'along similar lines and Mr. Stewart raised the ques ion of unregistered dogs beings sold at stock saies, remarking that if this was stopp'ed some slight progress would be made.

After members of the , ccuncil had heard Mr. Kilsfcy reply vo a question on the possibility of tattooing dogs for identification, which Federated Farmers had not reaehed a decision Gn, he county ranger, Mr. W. W, V. Cressy gave his views on the subject. He could not say that he had had any trouble in registering dogs in the district, said Mr. Cressy. He would say that mcsc peop.e were very cooperative and he did not think he had missed many. The ehairman: Ninety per cent of the so'ution is to keep the dogs tied up ac- night'. I had been hoping that the denutation would have brought along some real suggestions. We appreciate the shuation, but the difflcuhies sre very real and j there does not seem to be much we can do.

He felt that if more co-operation could be given by members of Federated Farmers an-d if they could keep their dogs tied up at night then something wou'-d have been" achieved, continued Mr. Golquhoun. The council could only adminisler the Act and this was being done at present. He oointed out that all dogs had to wear a collar with the registration tag* on it. Did the council have the power to destroy unregistered dogs, asked Cr. L. F. Brown. The ehairman renlied Ihat if a dog was on a. person's own property it did not even have to be worrying sheep to be destroyed — always provided that one was sure it was not registered. The engineer, Mr. W. H. Fraser, said that a dog was deemed not to be registered if it was not wearing a collar. It was suggestsd by Cr. E. R. Winkler that if the organisation came to a unanimous decision, then the council could do whatever was decided. Cr. Brown suggested that a small committee of farmers travel their district with the ranger in an endeavour to make identification of wandering dogs easier.