DOGS.
ITO TEE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "1
STa,—On behalf of the Dog-Owners' Protection Association, which, since police cruelty to dogs has ceased in the London streets, exists only to oppose the threatened action of the Society styled "For the Prevention of Hydrophobia and Reform of the Dog Laws," allow me to inform your correspondent, "Live and let Live," that we heartily agree with his excellent suggestion about a "proper system of registration with a police medal" or numbered collar, and that we have already made it one of our special objects to obtain, if possible, from the authorities, some such legislation. It could be easily accom- plished were the Dog-tax raised to 10s. ; and if with the licence a numbered collar were given to each dog-owner. It would become then impossible to evade the Dog-tax, now a very frequent occurrence, I should imagine, and owners who were not satisfied with the collar furnished by the Inland Revenue could easily provide one according to their own tastes, provided, of course, it bore the registered number.
In the name of our Association, I should like to inform" Live and Let Live" of a fact or two which Mr. Frank Kerslake, Secretary of the Society that wants to muzzle all the dogs, will probably not include in his "voluminous evidence" about hydrophobia. In the first place, Lady Paget's letter, recently published in the Sporting Times, and which my own ex- perience of Germany, especially Prussia, entirely confirms— will furnish evidence about those "other countries" where "experience has proved muzzling to be absolutely effective," according to Mr. Frank Kerslake. On that subject I need say no more. In the second place, "Live and Let Live" might like to know, as well as the rest of the world, that the "certain notable and obvious exceptions," whereby some happy quad- rupecba t.- L- --npred from the muzzle, refers to sporting dcw, packs of hounds, and others.
Apparently, the bite of these animals is harmless. Although, I think, we have sometimes heard of rabies breaking out in a fox-hound's kennel, and perhaps sometimes also of lost hounds ? —creatures who stray behind, and are missing perhaps for a day or two. But, according to the creed of Mr. Frank Kerslake and his friends, these are doubtless under perfect control, and absolutely warranted neither to bite nor go mad ; while my bull- terrier, who never strays ten yards from me, and whose healthy, happy life is under my constant supervision, must be caged in a wire muzzle, and myself and he made miserable because I am not a person of importance, like the fox-hunting nobleman or the shooting squire,—who is also, by-the-bye, remember, a Member of Parliament, and whose vote is therefore precious to Mr. Frank Kerslake and his friendl
I trust that "Live and Let Live ill not only communicate with the Secretary of the Muzzling Society, who would assuredly reproduce all over the country, could by any chance its mischievous designs meet with success, the "fretting annoyance" experienced recently by residents in the Metropolis, but also with the Secretary of the Dog-Owners' Protection Association, 53 South Molton Street, who will gladly receive any suggestions that may tend to improve the healthy con- dition of our often sorely mismanaged and misunderstood canine friends.—I am, Sir, &c., TREASURER OF THE DOG-OWNERS' PROTECTION ASSOCIATION. [The tax cannot be raised so high. It would produce popular resistance, as the present tax did on the moorlands.—En. Spectator.]
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