escape a life of misery at the hands of their owners.

So said Leonard (Shinah) Simons, Bermuda's Dog Warden, who told the Hamilton Rotary's weekly meeting yesterday that the Island had seen a resurgence of dog fighting and abuse cases in the late 1990's but his department was still understaffed -- just an assistant warden and a part-time clerk.

Mr. Simons identified major problems with dog control in Bermuda; an increase in reports of organised fighting; illegal breeding; increase in dog attacks and number of animals collected.

Other problems were a decrease in the education programme in the schools and community; a lack of teeth in the Dogs Act; and the fact that more teenagers were able to get pit bull terriers and other large breed dogs ideal for fighting.

"When I got this job I was told by a prominent individual, `Shinah, be careful, you are only getting enough rope to hang yourself','' he said.

"My first task was to put my own personal stamp on the position and get everyone to understand that I was Shinah and not my predecessor "Super (Lottimore)'', Mr. Simons added.

He and his assistant dog warden must monitor the thousands of animals on the Island and last year collected 343 dogs.

Of that number, 56 were adopted, 104 were euthanised, and 181 were returned to their owners.

The figures for 1998 show an increase over 1997 when 249 dogs were dealt with by the department.

During Mr. Simons' ten-year tenure as Dog Warden, the number of dogs collected have dropped from a high of 783 during his second year in 1989 to a low of 235 in 1995. Since 1995 it has seen an increase.

"Remember my rope?'' he said. "I had come to the end of my rope and I have had to tie a big knot in the bottom to hold on and hang in there.'' He is credited with reducing the number of dogs euthanised and is proud that number has dropped below the number returned to their owners.

The department had identified the causes of the Island's dog problems which included the inefficient yearly licensing system, and an inconsistent Dogs Act.

He noted an incident recently where a man had his cellular phone mauled by a dog and was not able to get compensation because the Act restricts repayment only to the loss of plants or crops.

Currently dog owners must register their dogs in August and with only the part-time clerk, the thousands of licences take months to process.

"Can you imagine car owners having to get a new licence number every August,'' he said to approval around the room.

"Dog control envisions the day when animals will not suffer because of human abuse, neglect or ignorance. It envisions the day when citizens and property will be safe from the dangers and nuisances of irresponsible pet owners.'' He said every dog born or imported will be assured of a good home and care, and that spaying or neutering will be seen as a positive choice by owners and euthanasia will be a thing of the past.