3370 ARTICLE 16.

before the police justice in and for Montgomery County, and shall stand
committed to the county jail until the fine and costs are paid; provided,
however, that the owner of dogs who reside in any incorporated town in
Montgomery County in which dogs are taxed by ordinance now or here-
after, shall be exempt from the operation of this Act if he has procured
a license from and paid for the current year a tax on his dog to said town
and his dog wears about his neck a tag issued by said town.

1910, ch. 717, sec. 7. 1912, ch. 790, sec. 195. 1916, ch. 198, sec. 7.
1922, ch. 264, sec. 195.

285. Every person who shall maliciously remove from any dog wear-
ing the legal tag procured from the clerk of the Police Court or allow his
dog to run without wearing such tag shall pay a fine of five dollars and
costs, upon conviction before any justice of the peace in and for Mont-
gomery County.

1910, ch. 717, sec. 8. 1912, ch. 790, sec. 196. 1916, ch. 198, sec. 8
1922, ch. 264, sec. 196.

286. In case of the loss of the tag issued by the clerk of the Police
Court upon application to him by the owner of the dog, a duplicate may
be furnished on the payment of twenty-five cents and satisfactory evidence
being furnished that the tax of one dollar for a male dbg and two dollars
for a female dog, as the case may be, has been paid for the current year
for the use of the dog.

1910, ch. 717, sec. 9. 1912, ch. 790, sec. 197. 1916, ch. 198, sec. 9.
1922, ch. 264, sec. 197. 1927, ch. 319, sec. 197.

287. When any resident of Montgomery County, shall have any do-
mestic fowls or animals belonging to him, destroyed or injured by dogs
he may apply to any Justice of the Peace of said county who shall
appoint three disinterested persons as appraisers to view and appraise-
the damages by him sustained, and they or a majority of them, shall,
under oath, state in writing to the County Commissioners the number of
fowls or animals so killed, the character and extent of the injury, if anyr
and the amount of damages sustained by the owner, and in like manner
they shall give a general description of both the destroyed and injured
fowl or animals, and both the appraisers and the owners shall make oath
that they believe the same to have been destroyed or injured by dogs, and
they or either of them shall state under oath the names of the owners of
said dogs and when the report of such proceedings shall have been filed
in the office of the County Commissioners the said Commissioners shall
review said report and if in their judgment the amount of damages stated
is unfair they shall award such amounts as they may deem fair; provided,
that before the Commissioners shall make any award of damages for the
killing of said fowls or animals the person claiming damages shall be re-
quired to prove to the satisfaction of the County Commissioners that he
does not know and is unable with reasonable diligence, to ascertain the
owner of the dogs which did such damage, or if the said owner is known,