Dog Wardens To Previous

The attorney-general's office is kept busy these days answering inquiries in regard to the new dog warden law passed by the last legislature. The law does not go into operation until next May, but in a large number of localities, owing to a misunderstanding in constructing the provisions of the statute, dog wardens have been appointed who have gone about collecting the tax of dogs just the same as though a tax on the animals had not been levied this year by the supervisors. In some instances valuable dogs have been killed by the wardens upon the refusal of the owners to pay the tax, and while such killing of dogs would be legal after the first of next May at present it amounts to destruction of property without authority of law. It is believe that the owners of dogs which have been dispatched by dog wardens under a mistaken sense of duty may bring suit to recover the value of their animals. The misunderstanding regarding the provisions of the law originated from the fact that the law reads that it shall go into effect May 1, 1899. As a matter of fact it was not passed by the legislature until after that date, and was not given effect until Sept. 23. This being the case, and the assessment of dogs for this year having already been made by the supervisors under the law, the attorney-general held that the new law could not be made operative until next May.