AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 13, 1996
OPINION
Dog License Regrets
There is more than a maximum $3OO penalty for not having dogs
properly licensed in Pennsylvania, as a Pittsburgh-area farm fami
ly recently discovered.
According to Dick Hess, chief of the Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture Bureau of Dog Law, a couple of stray dogs recently
came ontd a farm property near Pittsburgh and killed $20,000
worth of emus (one of several commercial flightless bird species,
called ratities, related to ostriches.).
When state dog law officials came to investigate the incident to
follow up on the damages claim that could have been awarded for
the livestock lost to stray dogs, they discovered that the farm own
ers’ three dogs were unlicensed.
While that seems unrelated to the fact that two loose German
Shepherd-looking dogs killed the farm’s emus, it turns out that
those who fail to license their own dogs can not collect on damages
caused by other loose dogs.
Because the farmers failed to pay the $5 annual dog license fee
for each of their own three dogs, they became inelligible to collect
the $20,000 they would have otherwise received in compensation
from the state.
It may not seem fair, and it may seem excessive punishment for
not buying a dog license for a farm dog, but it is the law.
While we won’t pretend to justify the situation the family faces
(we are sympathetic to anyone’s loss of earned money), it is what it
is an expensive lesson that those who scoff at state law and fail
to properly license their dogs don’t stand to reap state benefits from
damages from otter unlicensed dogs.
For the family that figured buying annual dog licenses too prohi
bitive at $5 each, how can they justify the loss of $20,000?
Their only apparent recourse now would seem to be to find the
owner of the stray dogs that killed the emus and sue for damages
(which means more money out of the pocket to hire an attorney); or
to seek some political action by appealing to the general public’s
lack of understanding of the law, the public’s general outrage at
regulatory government, and the desire of some people to get re
elected.
But, for the rest of us, the real issue here is public safety and
accountability.
There is a very real concern about rabies and other diseases easi
ly spread to humans from stray dogs, and also there is real concern
about the current prevalence of dog breeds that are known to attack
humans.
Those people not registered as kennel owners, who own dogs,
must license them not merely to generate funds to pay for dog law
enforcement officers, that is part of it, but more so to make law
enforcement effective and minimize the risk to public safety from
dangerous, unclaimed dogs.
Spring Show, Timonium.
Equine Garage Sale, Northampton
County 4-H Center, Nazareth,
11 a.m.-3 pm.
Pond Management Meeting,
Northern Star Stable, Lake
Winola, 9 a.m.-noon.
Forest Stewardship Landowners
Workshop, Mansfield Univer
sity, Mansfield, 9 a.m.
Little International, Ag Arena,
Penn State.
Tioga County Ag Banquet, Tioga
County Fairgrounds, Whitney
ville, 7:30 p.m.
Sheep Field Day, Dave and Barb
Lytle Farm, New London, 10
a.m.
John Deere Antique Tractor Plow
ing Demonstration by East
Central Pa. Two-Cylinder
Club, Inc., Ron Boyer Farm,
Hereford, 9 a.m.
Income Opportunities For Rural
Areas: Utilizing Your Natural
Resources, Everett Area
Chased Md.. thru A]
Cumberland, Md.
quet, Wicomico Youth and Civ
ic Center, Salisbury, Md.
Lancaster Co-Op Council Youth
Institute Program, Herr’s Snack
Foods, Nottingham, 10 a.m.
Manure Spreader. Sprayer, and
Planter Tune-Up Day, Lebanon
Expo Center, 10 a.m.-l:30 p.m.
Ephrata Young Fanners meeting,
private pesticide applicator
license test, 7 p.m.
Are you planning some con
struction or spring plantings of
trees or shrubs? If so, you need to
find out if there are any under
ground utility lines in the path of
your planned construction or
plantings. To find out, call Pen
nsylvania One Call System
(POCS) toll free at (800)
242-1776.
Pennsylvania law requires that
anyone planning to do any excava
tion must call POCS at least three
business days before digging.
When the call is made, POCS noti
fies the utility companies so they
can investigate and marie the loca
tion of any underground lines they
have in die work area.
The system is designed to pre
vent injuries to workers, interrup
tion of utility services, expensive
environmental cleanup costs and
local emergencies. So, before you
dig. call POCS.
When working outside this
spring, look up. Look up before
placing your aluminum ladder for
overhead power lines. Stay away
from electric lines when painting
buildings, installing antennas, or
Harrisburg Hilton and Towers,
Harrisburg, 9 a.m -9:30 p.m.
Farm Law Issues meeting. Moun
tain View High School. Kings-
Care At New Bolton Center.
Kennett Square, 7:30 p.m.
Pesticide Certification Exam,
Wayne County Extension,
Courthouse, Honesdale, 8:30
Wyoming County Cooperative
Extension, Fa. Dept, of Ag,
Tunkhannock, 7:30 p.m.-9
•. hands-' iikshr' April
Sale, Ohio Ag Research and
Development Center’s Eastern
Ohio Resource Development
Center, Caldwell.
Delaware Valley College Dairy
Judging and Livestock Judging
Contest, Feldman Ag Building,
8 a.m.
Beef Management Meeting
Hands-On Workshop, Walter
Dana Farm, 9 a.m.-noon.
Penn State Dairy Exposition, Penn
State Ag Arena, University
Park, 8 a.m., awards banquet.
Holiday Inn, 6 p.m.
U. of Del. Ag Day, Delaware Col
1r if Ag Sr '
lop,
Extension
(Turn to Page A3l)
To Call
Before You Dig
To Be Safe
using roofing materials.
When trimming or spraying
trees, be careful of overhead lines.
Warn children never to climb trees
which have power lines running
through them or nearby. Keep all
chemicals stored and locked when
not in use. Carefully read the labels
on chemicals before using in the
bam and around the farm.
Install all master shields on trac
tor power lake off (PTO) units
before slatting. Never adjust PTO
units while they are operating. Use
slow moving vehicle (SMV) emb
lem on all farm machinery when
traveling public highways. You
may also want to use a trail escort
whenever possible.
Let’s make this spring a safe
one.
To Check
Pastures
Winter can be extremely hard on
ON EATING WITH
SINNERS
April 14, 1996
Background Scripture
Luke 15:1-10
Devotional Reading:
Luke 15:11-24
There has been a lot rtf con
troversy in Dallas recently
because a large downtown church
had made its sanctuary available
for several community choruses to
present a concert—and then with
drew the invitation when it was
discovered that a majority of the
members of the one chorus were
homosexuals. Thereupon another
large downtown church welcomed
the choruses to present the prog
ram in their church.
The puipose of this column is
not to explore the question of
homosexuality and the Christian
churches. That would require a lot
more space and time than I have
available to me. It is rather to raise
the question of how far the Christ
ian can afford to distance him or
herself from those whom he or she
judges to be “sinners.” This was
the issue involved in the illustra
tion above. The first church
regards homosexuality as a sin
and believed that permitting the
choruses to use their church would
be tantamount to condoning it
The second church took the posi
tion that whether of not
homosexuality is a sin, the church
would not be compromising its
faithby permitting the choruses to
use their facilities.
This is also the issue that con
fronts Jesus and his disciples in
Luke IS. where we are told, “Now
the tax collectors and sinners were
all drawing near to hear him. And
the Pharisees and the Scribes mur
mured, saying, ‘This man receives
sinners and eats with them*”
(15:1,2). Please note that Luke
does not say that these people are
“reformed” or “penitent” sinners,
or that they have taken the pledge
to sin no more. Luke calls them
simply tax collectors and sinners."
NOT COMPROMISED
Apparently, Jem. the Son of
God, did not believe that his virtue
or spirituality— nor that of his
disciples —would be compromised
by being with tax collectors and
sinners. Eating with them was not
a problem for him either. If indeed
fences and other structures.
Robert Anderson, extension
agronomy agent, suggests you
walk your pastures before grazing
them. Spend a little time checking
fences for any openings which
would allow livestock to go
through. In addition, check for any
bottles, tires, etc. that passing
motorists may have discarded.
Discarded trash may be hard on
equipment and may become
dangerous projectiles from rotary
mowers. Broken glass may hurt
livestock. Also, containers may
contain toxic substances harmful
to livestock if consumed.
Consider rotational grazing or
establish an exercise lot with sev
eral well-managed paddocks of
grass to increase feed and reduce
soil erosion.
Feather Prof’s Footnote:
"Every person is the architect of
his own future."
these people are “sinners,” Jesus
doesn’t even condemn or condone
their sins.
I note this only to ask, if Jesus
and his disciples did not shrink
from civil intercourse with known
sinners, why do we? Is our moral
superiority of a higher order than
his? If he treated these sinners
with respect and kindness, why
shouldn’t we?
For one thing, Jesus understood
that the branding of these people
as “tax collectors and sinners” by
the public at large—and even
Luke—did not really put them in a
level of morality lower than that of
the Scribes and the Pharises and
even his disciples. You and I may
judge someone to be on a lower
moral order than we, but that
doesn’t make it so. The fact is,
every one of us belongs in the
category of sinner. Our sins may'
be more subtle or hidden—like
dishonesty and pride—but that
doesn’t necessarily put us on a
level where we can afford
other sinners.
WHICH SINNER?
I remember the story of a man
who despised his neighbor. One
day, this man, a man prominent in
his church, cried out, “Oh, Lord,
let your judgment be upon this sin
ner.” Back came God’s reply:
“Which sinner?” The second prin
ciple is apparent in the two para
bles that follow the incident in
Luke IS—the one lost sheep and
the woman with the lost coin. God
not only accepts the lost people of
the world, he actively and persev
eringly seeks to find them.
To the “lost,” it is everlasting
good news to know that there is
“more joy in heaven over one sin
ner who repents than over ninety
nine righteous persons who need
repentance” (1S:7). To the self
righteous judges of others, it is the
worst news we will ever hear. So
when the Scribes and the Phari
sees murmur, “This man receives
sinners and eats with them,” we
ought to say, “Thank God!”
The AJtkouses will lead a group
to the Holy Land, Oct. 9 to Nov. 2.
1996. Space limited. For infbrma
tion,write them at 4412 Shenan
doah Ave., Dallas, TX 75025.
Lancaster Farming
EatabUtht 1955
PQbNshad Every Saturday
Ephrala Review Building
lE. Main St
EphraU, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
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Copyright 1996 by Laneular Faming