2442 ARTICLE 56

association of persons or corporations as they may deem suitable, for the
removal, care and disposition of unlicensed dogs, or licensed dogs which
may create a menace to the safety and security of the residents of Baltimore
County, on such terms and conditions and for such compensation as may
be agreed to by the said County Commissioners of Baltimore County and
such persons, association of persons or corporations.

An. Code, 1924, art. 81, sec. 211. 1918, ch. 497, sec. 200. 1920, ch. 498, sec. 200.
1929, ch. 226, sec. 272 (p. 711).

330. When any inhabitant of any county, shall have any sheep, poultry
or livestock destroyed or injured by a dog or 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, under oath, shall state in writing to the
County Commissioners of said county, the number of sheep, poultry, or
livestock killed, the character and extent of the injury, if any done, and
the amount of the damages sustained by the owner; and both the apprais-
ers and the owner of the sheep, poultry or livestock shall make oath that
they believe the same to have been destroyed or injured by a dog or dogs;
and when the report of such proceedings has been filed, the County Com-
missioners of said county shall review said report, and if in their judg-
ment the amount of damages stated is unfair, they shall award such amount
as they may deem fair; which award shall be paid out of the fund hereby
created; provided, however, that the said sworn report of the appraisers
shall be deemed prima facie evidence of the fairness of the award of dam-
ages in each instance; and provided, further, that the County Commis-
sioners shall not change such an award unless they shall have personal
knowledge of its unfairness, or shall receive competent testimony to the
effect that the award is in excess of a fair commercial valuation of the
sheep, poultry or livestock injured or destroyed by dogs. Aird if the owner
of the dog or dogs doing the damage be known, it shall be the duty of the
County Commissioners to notify such owner or owners to kill said dog or
dogs immediately. If such dog or dogs be killed by the owner, after notice
as aforesaid, he shall be exempt from all further liability, but in case the
said owner or owners should refuse or neglect to kill said dog or dogs upon
notice as aforesaid, the said owner or owners shall be liable to the County
Commissioners for said damages to the same extent as he would be liable
in case of negligence or malicious destruction of property, and the said
County Commissioners may in their discretion have the special officers or
constables to kill said dog or dogs.

An. Code, 1924, art. 81, sec. 212. 1918, ch. 497, sec. 201. 1920, ch. 498, sec. 201.
1929, ch. 226, sec. 273 (p. 712). 1936 (Sp. Sess.), ch. 75.

331 Any person violating or refusing to comply with any of the pro-
visions of this sub-title shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon con-
viction thereof before any Justice of the Peace of the county in which he
resides, or in the Circuit Court of said county, shall be fined a sum of not
less than five dollars nor more than twenty-five dollars or shall be im-
prisoned in the county jail for not more than thirty days, or shall be both
fined and imprisoned in the discretion of the court. It shall be the duty of
the State's Attorney, the Sheriff and the constables of the several counties
of the State to prosecute all persons found violating the law by refusing to
comply with its provisions. Provided that nothing in this sub-title shall
apply to the City of Baltimore, or to the City of Cambridge.