The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is for bloggers who wish to participate, by publishing a blog post every day in April except for Sundays. Each blog post will focus on a letter of the alphabet. For example April 1 will be A, April 2 will be B, April 3 will be C, and on it goes. By the end of April, a blog post for every letter of the alphabet will have been published. Blog posts are usually on a theme, or you can choose to post each day with no theme at all. My theme for 2024 is “Haverfordwest in the News”. Haverfordwest is a town in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The following article about Haverfordwest appeared in the Australian newspapers.
from: The World’s News, Sydney, NSW, Saturday 22nd September, 1906, page 17
“A Population of Dogs.
SIX THOUSAND LICENSES HELD IN HAVERFORDWEST.
Probably the doggiest town in Great Britain is Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. It is an old world town, and is absolutely dependent upon agriculture and the breeding of dogs for its income. There are many men in the town who live wholly, and make a good living, by breeding, buying and selling dogs. Although the population is only 6000, yet 6000 dog licenses are issued annually, and there are also a large number of exemptions. Almost daily there are more dogs than people in the public streets, though valuable animals are never allowed to run loose.
Tramps and itinerant hawkers do not find Haverfordwest attractive, and unknown postmen often complain of torn clothes and bites, and occasionally letters are delivered in a very erratic fashion. Rural postmen invariably carry stout cudgels, cyclists and motorists must slow down, or risk broken necks, and compensation claims, which would spell bankruptcy are continual. Dustmen find brushes always necessary, for overturned and scattered dustbins, and dog fights in the public streets are common occurrences.
Haverfordwest dog breeders are known for their working terriers, show terriers, pointers setters, and spaniels, which are bred, reared, and traded daily for big sums through the fanciers’ journals, and go everywhere. One fancier’s kennel sold recently by auction, realised £200, but £250 is not an extravagant price for a single dog, while £60, £70, and £80 are almost common.
The quaint old town, with its mixed Welsh, English, and Flemish population, is almost the hub of the dogs “universe”.
Source:
A Population of Dogs. (1906, September 22). The World’s News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 – 1955), p. 17.
Retrieved November 12, 2023, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128275683
wikipedia.com
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Searching dog licences wasn’t something I had thought to do either Jeanne.
Wow never thought of searching dog licenses but not sure if searchable here in the states but gives me an idea. I can just picture this town with roaming dogs.
I have read that dog licences are a great source. I’ve never seen them available here, but maybe I just don’t know. Almost every house has a dog, so these records would be a great resource.
This is good news because dog licenses can be an excellent source of genealogy and family history information. I wish all my ancestors’ towns had such requirements!
It would have been very uncomfortable going for a walk with all those doges roaming around.
It’s unimaginable really.
And I thought we had a lot of dogs around where I am. I don’t think we hold a candle to them.
OMG! That’s a lot of dogs indeed. As long as they are friendly. Do take a look at my blog here; https://www.sundarivenkatraman.in/
It’s too much to think about Jill. It can be bad enough now, even though there are laws
OMG that’s a lot of dogs … one would have to walk with eyes on the ground to avoid doggy deposits.
Yes, very cute
certainly a lot of dogs. The terrier pictured is very cute.