LOST DOGS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2143, 8 May 1914, Page 8

LOST DOGS.

9 "THE BEST HOME IN THE COUNTRY." Twenty-one years ago the unhappy fate of stray dogs in Manchester appealed so strongly to the sympathies of two local men, Councillor A. H. Megson and Mr. Herbert Philips, that they started a home for lost 'dogs in Stretford. Hundreds of dogs were dealt with there, but to-day the same institution, now known as tho Manchester and District Homo' for Lost Dogs, at Harpurliey receives during one year over GOOD dogs. Councillor Mesrson is still to the foro in this work. He presided at the twenty-first annual meeting of tho liomoi in the Memorial Hall in March. In tho intervening years about 100,000 dogs have been taken to the Home from tho streets of-Manchester and tho district,-, and the amount' of >needless suffering which has been prevented in consequence of this is incalculable .(says the "Manchester Guardian"). Last year thcro wero fewer dogs in the homo than the year before, tho chairman pointing out that this was really a satisfactory result of the work done, because, at tho rate the institution had been receiving dogs, they could not expcct that there should he so. many mongrels in existence as there, used to bo. The report showed that in 1313 tho total number of docs received wns G3oo, compared with 673!) in 1912. Of these 3275 wero obtained from the Manchester police. 487 from tho Salfnrd police, 485 from the conntv police, 218 as "boarders," and 1875 . from • other sources. These were disposed of as follow:—Sold Ito responsible persons, 462; claimed (bv thrir owners, 261; painlessly de--1 stroyed, 5318; strays in the'home. f)l; "boarders" returned or still in the home, 218. Special journeys by day or night—the latter in response to telephone calls —were made to police stations for injured or suffering dogs. _ All purchasers pf dogs are required to state tho purpose for which the don is required, and to promise that .it ' will not be used fnr experiments or performances of any kind. Large structural alterations have been wade io the home, and 32 new kennels erected. This has run up tho expenditure, and an adverse balance of £136 j is tho result, of tho year's working. But, in the' opinion of the speakers at the ' annual meeting, when adorations are ! completed Manchester will havo the [ best dogs' homo in the country. r . :