You Be The Judge
Should A Dog Be Shot For
Destroying Other Peoples Property?
CEd. note: Below are two 'etterc
•* a subject we believe of suffi
cient public interest to warrant
th* space they take. We welcome
•pinions from readers on the sub
ject and will publish letters re
«ved as space permits).
lb Naughton Bros.:
Concerning your notice publish
•i on page 4 in the August 8
®59 issue of the Kodiak Mirror.
Perhaps your complaint is quite
a legitimate one but the sugges
©•n is hereby offered to you to
handle it differently and properly.
First of all, you are morally
•tsponsible and in ,conscience
bovnd to take all necessary steps
to protect your property and your
eights thereto, (namely by suit
able fences). By the same token
you acquire no right to destroy
i -
other peoples property.
Should any animals trespass on
your property or molest your fowl
there are agencies properly set up
to adequately cope with this; the
city police if you are within cor
porate limits or the U.S. marshals
office otherwise.
A pubished notice does not en
tite you to take the law within
your own hands nor can you set
yourself up as sole arbiter and
pass judgment of life and death.
You can be held legally respon
sible for any such acts and could
be closely observed.
As. businessmen you should be
more aware of the high value of
the public’s good will (a great
many of your customers own and
love pets.) -Your notice chalks up
a new low in public relations and
1
THOMPSON TRANSFER
Eric Mueller, prop.
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Horne & Office Standard Plant
Phone 3131 ^ Phone 4303
was in extremely poor taste.
Very Truly,
JOHN BROSKIN
Dear Mr. Broskin,
Thank you for your criticism
of our decision to protect our
flocks from predators. It gives us
an opportunity to discuss it with
you.
We appreciate your concern, in
fact it is easy to see reflected in
your letter that you have a blind
love for dogs. So have we a love
for dogs. I can’t remember a time
since I was very young that we
didn’t have a pet dog. At the mo
ment we have two. Indeed, on oc
casion we have taken in and cared
for pets that have been abandoned
by transient Navy people until we
could find someone to give them
a home. What I want to say is, we
are not do^-haters.
Since you have shown enough
interest to write us, perhaps you
would like to know soma of the
background of the problem.
Last winter we purchased a
piece of property, an investment
of several thousands of dollars,
and after many man-hours of labor
we prepared a proper brooding
facility. We purchased brooding
and feeding equipment. We install
ed oil heat and electric power. We
erected fences. We purchased the
best strain of chicks available from
a poultry house in Oregon, and
air freighted them to Kodiak. We
spared no effort in nursing this
flock. Now, a'poultry raiser takes
great pride in a low mortality rate.
We held our mortality down to
4%.. Then one day lately we dis
covered a dog in the chickenyard
killing chickens. He had burrowed
under the fence, we found later,
and even worse, he had broken
into the brooding house where he
had the flock easily cornered. In
the short time he was in there
he killed 67 pullets. Nearly wiped
out our entire flock.
What did we lose besides these
67 pullets? Well, there were hun
dreds of man hours put into their
raising. We had fed those pullets
for about 4 months, and since they
were on the verge of laying, tfcey
couldn’t have been slaughtered at
a more costly time. The possibility
Back to School
—:5a\
Get them set to scurry back to studies in the handsomest
togs, that ever saw a school room, the perkiest outfits
ever for their playtime hours. Bring your youngsters in
right now for clothes and shoes primed to win top honors
for school fashion.
ox****
We Havea Large j
Selection of |
TUFFY SHOES fl
for Boys. ' <
• V"
.... - 4 / ' . •
KRAFTS DRY GOODS DEPARTMENT
OPEN EVERY FRIDAY UNTIL 8 P. M.
of revenue was lost. In Anchorage
a poultry raiser can count on a
net profit to $5 per bird. Since we
couldn’t catch the dog to have his
health tested, we couldn’t even
use the carcasses. And that is the
pity of it, that dog wasn’t killing
for food, he was killing for the
sport of it. How can you expect
us to furnish someone else’s dog
with such expensive sport?
But more than that, in handling
those pullets from day to day we
couldn’t help but notice the dif
ferent personalities emerge. They
were pets, really. From the day
they arrived the children in the
family loved those fuzzy little
birds, and the hardest part of all
was having to kill their favorite
“little red hen” because she was
too badly wounded to mend.
Naturally, since we are not given
to unreasonable or impetuous ac
tions, we consulted the U. S. Mar
shal. He consulted the Alaska
Code. Pursuant to the authority
contained therein we shall kill any
dog that shows a tendency to mo
lest any of our flocks. I suggest
you familiarize yourself with the
law before offering legal advice.
You speak of responsibility. It
works two ways. The owner of a
dog is responsible for the property
he destroys. We could spend a lot
of time and track down the owner
of that dog and file suit.
—- ---!_I___
I should mention that the dog
has come back several times, try
ing for another bhance at the re
maining birds.
Now, let’s talk public relations.
It is true we are withiij the law
to kiil the dog. How shall we do
it Quietly, so the dog Just simply
disappears and the owner never
knows what came of him? Or
shpuld we let dog owners know
that if they let their beasts run
at large and thus allow them to
maraude us, we will react? While
the latter is not good public rela
tions, we consider the former very,
very bad human relations.
So, if you are a dog owner, you
now know where we stand. I pre
fer to. have it that way. I hope
you do too.
Yours trqdy*
EDWARD NAUGHTON
> ‘ V| - --
Heglin Promoted
Harold Heglin < became Fire
Chief this week replacing George
Magnusen, who-resigned to go to
Tacoma,..Washington, ’
• Heglin has« heen a member of
the; -volunteer, fire. department for
a number of years, becoming as
sistant chief last, year. He and his
family now reside in the apart
ment above the fire station.
, v, 11 . • ■ ---T-—
If you want tq.tyuy* sell os rent,
read the Kodiak Mirror.
:_ :' •
hi . •. . *—. *;
* • *•'
j L. .. ."*■
M-V Expansion deparis Kodiak mak
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luk, Larson Bay* San. Juan and Uga
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