THURSDAY. MAY 17. 1956 THE PILOT—Southern Pines. North Carolina County Dog Pound, Started Just A Year Ago, Proving Good Investment In Rounding Up Stray, Diseased Dogs Page THIRTEEN Operation Is One Of Two In County Self-Supporting After little more than a year’s operation, the Moore County dog pound seems to be firmly estab lished as a going concern. W. H. Barber, who operates the pound, said this week that the operation has gone along so far “without a hitch. We feel,” he said, ‘‘that the pound has more than proven, its worth, not only in getting more dogs registered on the tax books, but by making more people conscious of the ter rible problem of stray dogs we used to contend with.” The pound was started in March last year at the county home, which had been closed a few months before. Barber, who with his wife had formerly oper ated the home, was put in charge of the pound and directed to clean up the county of all stray dogs. At that time there w’ere some three to four thousand dogs listed for tax purposes. Today, there are between six and seven thousand dogs listed and the income derived from the sale of county tax tags will more than pay for the operation of the pound. Along with thp airport, the pound is the only self-sup porting agency of the county. Barber constructed four con crete runs adjacent to an old corn crib back of the county home. He was advised by Dr. C. C. Mc Lean, a veterinarian who main tains offices between Pinehurst and Southern Pines, as to the proper type of permanent shelter and runs to build. “We have what is considered very good quarters fo rthe im- very good quarters for the im- take excellent care of the ones here. Usually there are between 10 and 15 dogs, mostly mongrels, here at any given time, though we have had as many as 20 at one time. The dogs that we pick up are kept here a minimum of 10 days, the length of time required by law, and we make every effort to find the owner. If the owner can’t be found, either because he hasn’t missed his dog, or, as is the case most of the time, because he just doesn’t want the dog any more, we then have the dogs put to sleep by a veterinarian.” Barber said that many people visited the pound, some of them looking for their lost dogs and others looking for maybe a nice puppy. “You’d be surprised how many people come out,” he said. “On Sundays there seems to be more people than any other time, although we have visitors pretty regularly during the week.” The pound will give a dog to anyone who asks for one, provi ding they pay the board bill, which is very small, and have the dog listed for taxes. The owner must also have the dog vaccina ted against rabies. “I would like to emphasize that neither the county nor myself have anything against dogs,” he said. “We feel that by picking up stray dogs, some of whom have gone wild by being on the loose too long, we are greatly cutting jdown the chances for an out break of rabies. Veterinarians say that most rabies is carried by foxes. And, occasionally, squir rels and cats have been known to CARTHAGE NEWS Stray dogs at the Moore County pound, located on the Car thage-Southern-Pines road, gather at the door as Warden W. H. Barber’s son, Larry, gets ready to check the water supply. The dogs are kept three or four to the run during the length of time (Pilot plfoto) DANTE'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT Southern Pines Closed Monday Open 5 p.m. they stay there. be infected. But, if a dog is run ning loose and gets bit by a rabid fox, there is no telling just how long it will take to capture tne dog. In the meantime, he can in fect other dogs.” Barber takes his job quite seri ously. He takes calls anytime and will go anywhere in the county to pick up a stray dog. Policemen in the various towns throughout the county have been a constant help to him. Before the pound was started, the usual thing to do when a dog was running loose was to shoot him. The biggest problem of that procedure was the fact that the policemen never knew whether or not they were shooting a rabid dog and, as it quite often happen ed, whether they were doing away with a dog that someone really wanted. “With a pound, you don’t run into that sort of thing,” Barber said. “We have a definite proce dure when we take in a dog. The 10-day waiting period gives us an opportunity to examine the dog for any disease that he may have transmitted to other dogs, and it also gives us plenty of time to find an owner, if there is one.” It is standard procedure of all pounds in the state to send a sus pected rabid dog’s head to a state-operated laboratory in Ra'^ leigh for a complete examination. The results of the examination are usually available within a few days and gives officials time to set up safeguards agairist the spread of rabies. Barber said there has only been one case of rabies in the county during the past year. Occasionally Barber has to ap pear in court—usually before the Justice of the Peace—to prose cute owners who have refused to have their dogs vaccinated. If convicted, owners face a mini mum fine of $10 plus costs. “Starting this month,” Barber said, “we are having a systematic check of all dogs in the county and the owners of those that haven’t been registered for taxes will be asked to register them. If they refuse, they will be brought to court and prosecuted. This is the only real way we can keep check of the estimated 9,000 dugs in the county and will, we feel, cut down greatly on the pos sibility of a rabies outbreak.” The county home property, about 85 acres,'“has been leased to the state this yeeu and all- the fields have been planted with grain to be used by the prison system. The money derived from the lease is being used to help with the upkeep of the home, pending a decision by the Board of Com missioners as to the final dispo sition of the facilities. Barber and his wife ^nd their two children live in the central section of the main building and, in addition to the pound opera- By MRS. ALONZO BLUE Mr. and Mrs. John Barnes and son Gregory of Greensboro and Mr. and Mrs. Young Allen and Pamela of Rowland were week end guests of Solicitor and Mrs. M. G. Boyette. Miss Ann Eller and guest. Miss Mary Frances Ross of Flora Mac donald College, Red Springs, spent the weekend with Mrs. E. A. Eller. Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Vest and baby of Sanford spent Sunday with Mrs. Ed Maness. O. U. Alexander is in Charlotte for a week’s visit to relatives. Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Hunt of High Point and Miss Ruth Tyson of Raleigh..were Sunday guests of their mother, Mrs. L. P. Tyson. Mrs. W. G. Caldwell was in Cheraw, S. C., with her sister, Sunday. i Mrs. Essie Green of Highfalls .spent last Thursday with Mrs. D. H Parks. Mrs. L. A. Lawhon, who has been ill for several months, is con valescing at the home of her tion, act as caretakers. “The county home is centrally located and makes an excellent site for a dog pound,” Barber said. “So far the pound operation has proven of great benefit to the- county, particularly since it is self-supporting. Within the next year or two, we hope to have aU dogs in the county properly reg istered and vaccinated, although it seems impossible to make the program complete. We are asking the public’s co operation in helping to rid the county of the rabies threat. In the meantime, if anyone wants a nice dog, they’re welcome to come to the pound and pick out one.” daughter, Mrs. Mary Snipes, in Sanford. Mr. and Mrs. D. H. Parks were Sunday dinner guests of Mrs. Parks’ sister and brother-in-law, Mr. a^d Mrs. F. H. Upchurch, in Robbins. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Blue and sons of Fayetteville were guests of Mrs. Norman Carter Sunday. George Prevost from Lakewood, Ohio, spent the last two weeks with his brother, Charlie Prevost. Mr. and Mrs. Jake Hurwitz, who have been here for several days visiting her sisters, Mrs. M. Wainer and Mrs. Eli Ginsburg, returned to their home in Balti more, Md., Monday. Mr. and Mrs. M. Gesben motored down for the weekend to take them home. Mrs. Gesben is the former Julia Hur- \yitz, who Was reared in Carthage. Dr. and Mrs. Marshal Ginsburg and children of High Point spent Sunday with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Eli Ginsburg. Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Lineberry and children of Mebane, Mr. and Mrs. R. G. Ridge and daughter of High Point, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Baxley and family of Newport News, Va., and Miss Josephine Cole of Raleigh were Mother’s Day guests of their mother, Mrs. Emma Cole. , John Kelly, Jr., student at the Professional Institute in Rich mond, Va., was at home over Sun day with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Kelly. Mrs. Curtis M. Muse joined Mrs. James Cowan in Burlington last week for a trip to Pennsylvania with friends. Mrs. H. O. Murdock from Ma con, Ga., is visiting her brother, J. A. Lang, and Mrs. Lang until June 1 at their home on Rocking ham Street. J. A. Lang, Jr., of Washington, D. C., came down for the weekend and spent Sunday with his sister, Mrs. Howard Gardner. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Clayton of ly Sunday. Miss Carolyn Hall of Goldsboro spent Sunday with her mother. Wilson and Mrs. Ethel Watson' Mrs. H. J. Hall, and Mrs. Annie Teague of San-1 Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie Clawson were supper gimsts of the and children of Jacksonville were W. b. Golden Sat- Mother’s Day guests of Mrs. W. R. ford Rev. and Mrs urday. Mr. and Mrs. N. W. McKay and sons of Greensboro were Sunday guests of her mother, Mrs. Sadie K. Wall. Mr. and Mrs. James Vickery Clegg. Mr. and -Mrs. Ralph Shaw and children and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Trogden and family of Seagrove attended a family reunion at Un ion Church Sunday and visited and son James of Pleasant Garden (Mr. and Mrs. M. K. Prevost in the visited Mr. and Mrs. John R. Kel- I afternoon. GREAT OAK sN-' ^ ^ ss BLENDED WHISKEY t6 PROOF 70% Grain Neutrol Spirits ' vr, 'y ‘ • ‘ . BLENDED & BOTTLED BY AUSTIN, NICHOLS & CO., INC. New York-New York YOU’RE PARTICULAR /MORE WHEN IT’S YOUR OWN! Colonial Salutes the Armed Forces! ARMED FORCES DAY May 19thl SPECIAL SALE ON COLONIAUS OWN QUALITY BRANDS! CS FBUIT GOCKTAlli 2 TOMATO CATSUP....... 2 GS ■ ■ GS TINY GREEN LIMAS BIG STAR MARGARINE OUR PRIDE JELLY ROLLS ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 1 NO. 303 39c I4-OZ. 39c NO. 303 49c Vtf-LB. PATTY 10c 12-OZ. Off 29c SIRLOIN, T-BONE, CLUB, im OS ROfUO) G&W .SEVEAT STAR 90’Proof •2 « PINT STBAWBERBIES 19< Spedal Price! SOMERDALE FRESH FROZEN ro