c1895

Illustration of Owney on Mail Sack

from Smithsonian Institution

• 1 older comment, and then…
• Robert Wade (Wadey) said:

  What a fantastic collection, thank you so much for sharing them with us

• Pixel Wrangler said:

  From the National Postal Museum: "Owney was a stray mutt who wandered into the Albany, New York, post office in 1888. The clerks let him stay, and he fell asleep on some mailbags. Owney was attracted to the texture or scent of the mailbags and followed them when they were placed on a Railway Mail Service train. Owney began to ride with the bags on trains across the state—and then the country. In 1895 Owney made an around-the-world trip, traveling with mailbags on trains and steamships to Asia and across Europe, before returning to Albany. "Railway mail clerks considered the dog a good luck charm. At a time when train wrecks were all too common, no train Owney rode was ever in a wreck. The Railway mail clerks adopted Owney as their unofficial mascot, marking his travels by placing medals and tags on his collar. Each time Owney returned home to Albany, the clerks there saved the tags."

• Robert Wade (Wadey) said:

  Thanks for sharing this information

• kameraschwein said:

  I own a Owney!

• pdxpaula said:

  I hope you enjoy reading the article I wrote about Owney. What a dog!! www.associatedcontent.com/article/2904166/owney_americas_...