rOTTSTEEW MEDFORD (ORKSOK) MAIL THIBUNE
Sunday, August II, 1957
Dog Control ftfkeir
STRAY DOGS Poking against the wire fence
around their pen are four strays. These dogs
ar separated from owned dogs in the four
pen pound. Anyone wanting a dog may have
his choice from those in the pens, paying 25
cents feed charge for the number of days
the dog has been at the pound. Hagler keeps
lists of persons and descriptions of dogs they
would like to own, in case animals matching
the descriptions are picked up.
F i A r
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CONTROL OFFICER J. Chris Hagler, 23,
handle dog control duties for Jackson coun
ty. In addition to maintaining the dog pound,
he travels around the county picking up stray
animals, protecting livestock, and checking
dogs for licenses. Strays and sick dogs are
transported to the pound in the cage shown .
above in the back of Hagler's panel truck.
The officer logs two to three thousand miles
per month.
;.,r,rr.
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DOG PENS Wire fence and aluminum walls is "looKing around" for a site for a new
enclose dogs picked up by the dog control pound. The present one is located at 2872
officer, or brought by their owners to the Howard ave., one block diagonally north of
county pound. Each of the fcftir pens is half Howard school,
indoors, half outdoors. The dog control board
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1
GRANDVIEW-LONE PINE
Alaska Resident Returns
By LILLIAN KNIGHT
Grandview-Lone Pine Miss
Diane Bower left for her home
in Anchorage, Alaska, after be
ing a guest at the W. A. Strawn
home. On her way here she at
tended the Lutheran league con
vention in Missoula, Mont.
While here she visited with
Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Hanscom in
Phoenix, her grandmother and
great grandmother in Ashland,
Mrs. Hazel Leslie, and Mrs. Ezra
Johnson. Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Les
lie of Gustine. Calif., came to
the Strawn home to see her. She
is a niece of Mrs. Strawn.
Mr. and Mrs. James Harth and
children of Tujunga, Calif., left
for Reedsport Friday on their
way home after visiting for a
week at the Robert Lindsay
home.
Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Strawn re
turned recently from a two-week
vacation visiting relatives in and
near Eugene.
A boy. Charles Scott, was born
to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davis.
He was born Aug. 6 and weighed
7Va pounds.
A birthday party for Christie
Bench was given by her mother
Monday morning honoring her
eighth birthday. Ice cream, cake,
and punch were served and the
children played games. Those at
tending were Jeff, Suzanne, and
Morgan Fish. Sheila Butler,
Phyllis Strawn, Leta, Linda, and
Lucie Norris, Greg and Susan
Bench, brother and sister of
Christie, and Christie.
and sons, Bob and David, of
Palmdale, Calif., are visiting at
the home of his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Dick Knight, and other rel
atives and friends in the valley.
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Jahn
and family returned Tuesday
from a five-week vacation
through the Southern states and
visiting relatives and friends in
Denver, South Dakota, and Ken
tucky. They spent most of their
time in St. Petersburg, Fla.,
where they visited Jahns' folks.
J. Chris Hagler .
On Call 24 Hours
For Homeless Dogs
By DON ROBINSON
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
Man's friend, the dog, is a for
lorn creature without the care
of man.
In such a state, he wanders
homeless and forages for food.
Sometimes he kills livestock
sheep, cattle, chickens.
When that happens in Jack
son county,, the dog becomes a
concern of county government.
Jackson county's dog control
authority Is vested in a three
man board, appointed by the
county court. The active part of
control exercised by the county
rests in the dog pound and its
keeper, the dog control officer.
The pound is located at 2872
Howard ave., one block diagon
aliy north of Howard school.
To get there, one travels High
way 99, north, to the first road
past the state police station,
then right, to the end of the road
about five blocks from the high
way. Square Board Sign
There, a small, square board
sign, slightly askew on a fence
post, indicates "County Dog
Pound."
Behind the sign is a yard, a
weeping willow tree, and a
white, two bedroom house. A
field of grass, a small barn and
a cow are to the left of the
house1. At the right stands an
open shed.
Straight back, in the center
of a gravel driveway, sits a tight
little hut with one lath-barred
window. It , resembles a guard
house, and serves as food stor
age room and electrocution
chamber.
To the rear of this are dog
pens: a 16 by 40 foot concrete
floor, divided by Cyclone wire
fencing into four equal units.
Spread over half the floor area
and in the middle is a 16 by 20
foot aluminum shed.
Access Either Way
Each of the four pens are half
indoor and half outdoor. Open
ings in the aluminum walls pro
vide access either way.
The entire property covers
slightly more than an acre, and
is county owned.
A personable young man of
23, J. Chris Hagler, is dog con
trol officer. He's held the job
since March, 1956. He, his wife,
and their three sons occupy the
house.
Hagler's duties are listed in
state law. impound dogs not li
censed, reduce damage by dogs
to livestock, make arrests of dog
law violators, collect license
fees, and investigate claims
against the dog license fund.
Claims are made by county
residents whose stock has been
killed by dogs. The county pays
a compensation. This runs from
$15 for a sheep to 75 cents for
a chicken.
On 24-Hour Call
The dog control officer Is on
call 24 hours a day. He is sup
posed to work a six-day week,
but usually finds Sundays partly
occupied.
His work begins when the
telephone rings. A call could
send him with rifle to a pasture
where dogs are killing sheep. Or,
as happens more often, with
snare to a residence for a stray.
He travels in a yellow panel
truck, with a wood .and wire
cage in the back. He built the
cage, and the snare (an old
shovel handle with a rope loop
at the end) that he uses on
wilder dogs.
After being bitten three times
handling dogs by the nape of
the neck, Hagler now grabs
them by both ears to get them
into the cage. They're not hurt,
but from time to time a passer
by (generally a woman) will see
the operation and phone com
plaints of cruelty to city police,
the county court, the Humane
society or Hagler himself.
Checks Licenses
If few calls come in, Hagler
drives or walks from house to
house, checking dogs for li
censes. ,
Dog owners in the county
have from January through
February of each year to buy
licenses. The fee is $1.50. A $1
penalty is attached thereafter,
if the dog is eight months 'or
more of age.
The control officer can issue
licenses on the spot, or give
citations allowing about 10 days
to buy a license.
Hagler testifies that "the pub
lic is a funny thing." Persons of
Don Week
?4
1
4 i 1
ELECTROCUTION WIRES Hanging from a wall inside the death
house at the pound are ends of the. wire used in electrocuting un
wanted dogs. The hut serves also as food storage room. Sacks of
meal are in the background.
lower incomes are on the aver
age more willing to pay than
those more able.
Hagler knows one Ashland
resident who had just beaten a
$5 traffic fine at a cost of $75
foi; court charges. The man had
an unlicensed dog, and intended
to leave it so.
He was issued a citation. Im
mediately, he contacted his law
yer and was told the law offered
no escape. Reluctantly, he gave
Hagler $2.50 and received the
small metal tag for his dog.
Enforcing the license law is a
task to keep plugging at, not to
complete. Hagler says that one
man on foot might cover Med
ford adequately in a year. But
Hagler's ward is the entire
county, and licensing duties are
combined with livestock protec
tion and collection of strays.
Biggest Headache
The officer's biggest headache
is created by people who "dump"
animals. Dogs and cats are left
in gunny sacks and boxes, or
freed on foot by roadsides.
These soon become strays,
public nuisances and helpless.
Other county law officers city
police, sheriffs officers, consta
bles aid Hagler whenever pos
sible, either calling him or
bringing in strays. '
Lambing season is the worst
for livestock trouble. During
one spring, dogs killed 38 sheep
in one week. Hagler spends
much time waiting for attacking
dogs to return to the herds. He
catches them if possible, shoots
if he must.
A dog is personal property by
state law, and the dog officer
cannot touch an owned dog, un
der ordinary circumstances. He
can only cite its owner.
Cats Brought In
Some cats are brought to the
pound. They're kept in make
shift cages in the open wood
shed.
At the pound, Hagler separ
ates strays from dogs with own
ers, and females in heat from
the rest.
Dog owners who want to be
rid of their pets may, for a 25
cent fee, leave them at the
pound.
Hagler advertises every dog
that enters the pens in the lost-
and-found section of Mail Trib
une want ads. He keeps all dogs
at least five days after they are
advertised. If no one claims
them or takes them as pets, they
are destroyed.
'Killing Day'
Saturday is usually . "killing
day. ' The officer leads each dog
inside the small, barred-window
hut. The floor is covered with
straw. One clip at the end of a
household 120 volt electric wire
goes on the dog's lip, and one is
attached underneath its belly.
Hagler flips a switch. There
is no noise. In three to five sec
onds, the dog is dead.
Carcasses are loaded into the
panel truck and transported to
the Medford municipal garbage
dump for cremation, at 25 cents
per dog.
This June, 219 dogs were de
stroyed. In July it was 196, and
in the first two weeks this
month, 105 had been done away
with.
Persons Visit Pound
More than 100 persons per
week visit the pound looking for
new pets. New owners pay only
a 25-cent feed charge for the
number of days the dogs have
been in the pens.
Hagler keeps a list of persons'
names and descriptions of dogs
they would like to have. If he
picks up a dog matching a de
scription, he notifies the pros
pective owner.
Each morning, the dog con
trol officer hoses out the pens.
Sewage runs off to the side into
a grass covered ditch of stand
ing water, overflow from a
neighbor's irrigation.
Hagler hopes a new pound
will be TJuilt and although no
definite steps have been taken,
the board acknowledges that
one is in the "talking stage."
The present pound was brought
inside the city limits by the
Berrydale annexation.
Septic Tank Wanted
In the meantime, Hagler
wants the county to install a
septic tank for the pens. At the
last meeting of the control board
such action was disapproved.
Sitting on the board today are
W. H. Arnold, route 1, Medford;
Charles Cingade, Pioneer rd.;
and Warren Bayliss, chairman,
5758 Crater Lake ave.
Arnold is a farmer and fruit
grower, Cingcade is a farmer,
and Bayliss manages the cold
storage plant at Myron Root and
company.
Cingcade has the longest mem
bership, at "16 or 18 years"; Ar
nold has been on 10 years, and
chairman Bayliss has served
2V4 years.
The board sets Hagler's sal
ary, appropriates other moneys
to the pound, and decides upon
livestock claims. All claims are
paid out of the dog license fund.
Any fund reserves over $1,000
at Jan. 1 each year are trans
ferred to the general county
fund.
Start ef Year
At the beginning of fiscal year
DEATH HOUSE Dogs are electrocuted inside this hut 'if, after
being advertised in Mail Tribune want ads, they are not: claimed
or taken by new owners. Hagler has destroyed more than 200 per
month this summer. Bodies are cremated at the Medford munici-
pal garbag dump.
Mrs. George Ketchum is the
new troop leader for the Girl
Scout troop 12. Leaders for
grades tvo and three are needed
in the troop.
Mr. and Mrs. George Knight
HIBISCUS
Hardy Giant - 8 in. to 10 in. Flowers
Select Colors Now for Fall Planting
LEWIS NURSERY
Jacksonville Turn right at drug store, V mi. north en
Old Stage Road
At
BARRETTE HEARING AID
Here for the first tiro
anywhere in the world
is berrette bear
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for yoa to conceal
comptetebr in ywf
has. You can dip tfce
Tooemaster Barrett oa ia
sg courts ... jost sa yov wonid a regular heir ornament
YoqH bear never before Sounds come in dear and strong
without any trace of annoying dotbing noise. Try the new Tonemastar Bar j
tette .. . a completely new expenenc m bearinc
TOUI TONEMASTa KALEK S
George E. White
HEARING AIDS
131 West Main ' Medford, Oregon
Phone or Write for FREE DEMONSTRATION
in Your Home SP 3-1841
1956-57 fJulv 1. 195B1 there
a balance of $4,474.62 in the dog
license fund. Receipts from li
censes tor tne year were 57,750.
Disbursements were S8.983.68.
By June 30. 1957. the fund had
a balance of $3,240.94.
For his services. Hazier re
ceives a monthly salary of $225,
pius penalty money, free rental
of the house, and eieht cents a
mile traveling compensation. He
iugs iwo to tnree inousana miles
per month on the job.
Just this ADril. his salarv wai
raised from $175 per month.
Hagler has no veterinary
training. He got the iob throuch
the recommendation of his
grandfather, D. Jones, route 2,
box 363C, Medford, who served
as dog control officer for nearly
three years, from 1953 to 1956.
Hagler likes dogs, and has al
ways had one or moro of hi
own. Today he keeps three
nounas, a Keabone, a Beagle,
and a Walker, and a Siberian
husky.
The hounds he enters in field
trials and uses to run coons and
wild cats.
Threatened Walkout
Averted in New York
New York Hf) A threatened
walkout by 1,200 milktruck
drivers that would cut off 95
per cent of the New York area's
milk supply was averted for at
least the week end early Satur
day. Negotiators for the Teamsters
Union and employers broke off
talks for the week end without
reaching agreement.
Although the union had threat
ened to instruct its members to
walk off their jobs at midnight
Saturday, the drivers were told
to continue pickups and deliver
ies until Monday.
This Week's
HISTORY MYSTERY
What Part Did This Medal
Play in Oregon's History?
CLUE: These medals were' made in three sizes and
grades. This is th largest and was most preferred
because it bears the likeness of President Thomas Jeff
erson. The reverse side shows the clasped hands, pipe
and war axe crossed, with the legend "Peace and
Friendship." .
'Afaisoc, poijoih uofiajQ m jt Xdsip us
mou si 's,Q6g m u; uoiuije 40 jseaijpou JAiy
iiquiniOQ ui pu!i u uo punoj ssm paui t jaiijs
bui6ijo u jo suiBiuei m sXaujnoj JiBijj 6u;jnp 4am
Am bl sj9ii0 ueipuj o uoifnqiifsip joj put
simb-j suifdpQ Aq psujss ajeM tjcpauj i)ans :g3MSNV
This column is presented weakly for the furtherance of
historical interest and education by the
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Pertfomj, Orfn
The
Selection Room
Plainly marked prices, so it isn't
necessary for a funeral director
to invade family privacy while
they make their selection from
among inexpensive wood to
enduring metal.
'The best costs no more,
why accept less?
Conger-
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
W. MAIN AT SIXTH
'Mi