DOGS AND SHEEP.

Dunstan Times, Issue 576, 2 May 1873, Page 3

DOGS AND SHEEP.

A correspondent of tlic London Field te'ls us how he cured some dogs addicted to chasing sheep, tic recommends much patience; in this I quite agree, but to cure a confirmed “chaser” requires more than moat men possess. Your correspondent fears a Newfoundland, or any other large breed, after he has tasted blood is incurable. 1 can assure him to the contrary. A large deerhound of mine, or rather of my father’s (a prize winner at Birmingham), which, not being ■well looked after, got into the habit of chasing sheep, and killing them too, whenever he had an opp n tunity. He was sharply cm rected, and kept chained up for some days, but when again taken out was as bad as ever. . My father happily remembered how he had cured a large retriever of the same vice five-and-thirty years before, and we have, I am pleased to say, made a perfect cure of my deer-hound. AS er one of his chas s l.e was taken up to the sheep farm, securely tied between two old Scotch rams, and then let loose in the yard. No sooner were they let loose than all three, being good jumpers, cleared the wall, and the dog was dragged about the park till all three were dead tired. The poor fellow was then taken home, and I can assure you sheep-chasing is now the very last thing he ever thinks of.

A frightful accident occurred at Dekalb, Illinois, recently. It appears that a Mr. Dennistou, an aeronaut, who had advertised that Mr. Louis Denham world make an nsceusion that afternoon, was inflating his monster balloon, “ City of New York,” and had nearly completed the process, when smoke was observed to be escaping from the top of the balloon, quickly the shout went up, “ The balloon is on fire,” and as the people near by began to retreat the horses were also diiven from the scene to escape all danger. Scarcely had the flames burst out when the balloon shot away, carrying with it Mr. Michael M’Mann, who was assisting in the work of inflation. Being near the basket as it started off, he became entangled, and hanging with one foot inside the basket, his hands holding to the ropes, he thus ascended for upwards of 100 feet, and regained a position in the basket'; but it again hung sideways, and in another minute M'Mann was hanging to the ropes at a height of upwards of three limbed feet. Now his strength gave way, and he let go. ITcylesccndcd to the earth nearly in a standing position, until when near terra firma ho fell backward, striking the ground witli his back with such force as to produce a concussion heard for some distance. His death was instantaneous.