C. R. Johnson’s Dog Law

A BILL

For an act for the protection of Dogs, and to encourage their breeding and increase.

WHEREAS, The breeding of dogs has heretofore been greatly neglected by the people of this State and

WHEREAS, The whole race is about to become totally extinct to the great detriment of the agricultural interests of the State, and

WHEREAS, The attention of the farmers of this State is directed exclusively to the breeding of sheep which business is likely to be overdone, to the great detriment of our fellow citizens, therefore

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa:

SEC. 1. That in each County in this state at such time and place as the County Judge of such County shall direct, there shall be held annually a “Dog Fair” at which said fair there shall be paid premiums on Dogs as follows:

For the biggest, blackest, ugliest, wooliest, fattest, fastest, least and laziest dogs, such sums as the Board of Supervisors of said County may direct, but in no case less than ten dollars, and the premiums in all cases to be doubled when the dog is of the feminine species or variety. And the highest premiums shall be paid to those which breed the most without regard to quality.

SEC. 2. From the amount of taxes assessed against the owner or keeper of any dog or dogs there shall be deducted for the first dog so owned or kept, the sum of one dollar, for the second, two dollars, for the third four dollars, for the fourth eight dollars, and so on in geometrical progression; and if the owner or keeper of each dog or dogs shall have no property to tax, and no taxes to pay he shall be entitled to draw the sums aforesaid from the County Treasury of said County.

SEC. 3. Any person who shall either accidentally, or willfully kill any dog, or dogs, under any circumstances, or upon any pretest whatsoever, shall upon the conviction thereof, [forfeit] and pay the sum of one thousand dollars for each and every dog so killed as aforesaid, and shall be imprisoned in the Penitentiary for any term of time not less than during his natural life, and shall be thereafter forever disqualified from holding any office of honor, trust or profit under the laws of this State or of the United States.

SEC. 4. This act being deemed of very great, pressing and immediate, shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication in the Daily State Register and Iowa Homestead without regard to cost.

– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, February 20, 1864