DEATH OF A DOG

Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1933, Page 4

DEATH OF A DOG

OWNER’S CHAIM FOR DAMAGES,

AGAINST TAILWAGGER’S CLUB,

(Per Press Association — Oopyrigb t. )

WELLINGTON, June 27

Alleging that it w-s as the re-sult/o£ negligence and unskilful treatment, ; on tlie port of one,.of the defendants that .an Alsatian dog of his had to be destroyed, E. R. Leighton claimed £25 fn the Magistrate’s Court from the jTaihvaggeirs’ Club, (of New Zealand., and T. *C. Webb of Wellington. , ••• ■

The statement of, claim alleged that* last October the plaintiff consulted the defendant Club regarding injuries received by his Alsatian dog and the defendant Club undertook to furnish the services of its veterinary surgeon* The defendant, Webb, subsequently called on the pl-Antiff, -representing that he. was a , veterinary-surgeon sent by the, defendant Club to .attend to the injur-, ed dog, It was alleged that Webb eo, unskilfully treated the dog that it had to be destroyed in November. Mr Watoon, counsel for plaintiff said that evidence would be bought to. show that Webb had no veterinary qualifications whatever. On his business card he used afor his name the letters /“L.1.0.5.” This was a degree which he bad conferred upon himpelf, land which was said to mean “Late Inspector of Stock.” There, would be evidence that- when the.plaintiff's wife called at the ofhee of the ■Tailwaggers’ Club, the words “Our Vet.” had been used, and that Webb had been gent out to visit the dor, and had tendered a card bearing .the “mystic symbols’’ I’efenred to, saying that he was from the Tailwaggers’ O'ub. We'bb took the , dog away for treatment, saying that it had a broken stifle, but eventually a veterinary surgeon had been called, and. he had ordered the dog to be deshoved. It w\s revealed in' a post, mortem examination that the • bone had not been broken, but that the thigh was dislocated. Fred Cnass'by, veterinary surgeon, said paintiff brought the dog to him. ;He found it suffering from an injury to the hip. The dog was in poor condition, and world be in .pain when it moved. A ''skilled practitioner could, not possibly be mistaken as to the in jury. Witness produced the bones of the dead Alsatian. There was no iirhirv of the stifle, which the defendant had said was fractured. The dog was incurable when brought to witness* fl,nd he advised its destruction. He had previously drawn the attention of the Chib’s president to the fact that they were employing ,a« unqualified veterinary surgeon. The' hearing was adjourned till Wednesday next..