It’s a tale that warms a dog lover’s heart. One cold day in 1888, the story goes, a cute Irish terrier mutt wandered into the Albany, New York post office. The mail bags strewn on the floor looked comfortable, so the clever canine decided they would make a nice bed. More than likely, he probably spun himself around a couple of times, as dogs do, to stomp down the mail until the bed was more to his liking. Then he indulged in a well-deserved rest. He must not have snored, because it’s said that one noticed him until the next day.
A dog in an official U.S. postal facility? More than likely it was illegal, but dog lovers in any period in history show their true colors, especially for a mutt who is down on its luck. Instead of chasing the rascal out, the Albany Railway Mail Service employees adopted the dog, fed him and let him continue to sleep on the mail bags.
After a while, the dog seemed to think that it was his responsibility to watch over these mailbag beds. Diligently discharging his duties, he would follow the postal employees when they carted the mailbags to the local railroad depot. But, the mail must move on, and that’s when the dog, who became known as Owney, the Mascot of the U. S. Railway Mail Service, started his remarkable travel adventures.
Owney in his harness
The Magnificent Journey Begins
At first, he just traveled the short route between the Albany and New York City. But then he became more adventurous, expanding his travels to other destinations. As Owney started traveling farther and farther away from his home base, his adopted humans became more concerned that they wouldn’t see him again. They didn’t want to curtail his fun, so they decided that a collar with proper identification was in order. “Owney, Post Office, Albany, New York,” the inscription read. Now he could ride the rails to his heart’s content.
At this time, mail was sorted on trains as they rumbled across the nation, so Owney had plenty of company during his travels. Soon, Railway Mail Service workers across the nation joined their Albany colleagues and established an unofficial network to ensure that Owney was fed and watered as he followed the mail from one station to another — and that he could sleep on his beloved mail pouches.
To find out just how far Owney traveled, the Albany employees pinned a note to his collar that asked fellow employees to attach a baggage tag to his collar. Others willingly followed the suggestion. According to the National Postal Museum, on April 9, 1894, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that “Nearly every place he stopped, Owney received an additional tag, until now he wears a big bunch. When he jogs along, they jingle like the bells on a junk wagon.”
Owney’s medals of honor became so numerous that he was soon weighted down. That’s when none other than John Wanamaker, then Postmaster General of the United States, gave Owney a jacket that would display his “trophies,” and documented his destinations, along with other medals from his loyal fans. But Owney continued to receive so many medals that neither he, nor the jacket, could hold all of them. Sympathetic postal employees would occasionally remove some of the medals and mail them to his Albany home, where his vast collection was preserved. Owney accumulated over 1,000 medals, tokens and trinkets during his travels.
Owney Saves the Day
The traveling postal dog was not only fun to have around, but was apparently regarded as bringing very good luck. Train wrecks and derailments were common in these days, and no train that Owney was on ever encountered such ill fates.
Apparently Owney took his responsibilities as a deliverer of the U.S. mail very seriously. In the May 18, 1892 edition of Weekly Stamp News, the National Postal Museum reports, there was a story about his heroic actions in safeguarding the mail. It told about how the dog boarded a loaded mail wagon, but wasn’t there when it reach its destination. Mail workers also discovered that a sack of mail was missing, so they retraced their steps to retrieve it. When they located the mail sack, they saw that it was in good hands or, in this case, good paws. Conscientious Owney was lying on it to protect it from falling into evil hands.
By August 19, 1895, the postal dog had become quite famous, and he then embarked on his most adventurous trip: a journey around the world. Traveling as Mr. Owney, “registered dog” on trains and steamships, he made his way from Tacoma, Washington, to Canada, Mexico, across Europe, China, Japan, Suez, Algiers, and the Azores and back again to Albany. The always polite Japanese even presented him with a passport that gave him free access to the country. Apparently they thought that, with all of his medals, he must belong to someone very important, and they didn’t want to offend anyone.
Owney was a true workaholic. While on shipboard, he didn’t have any official mail duties. So rather than lounge about on deck chairs, he devoted his time to earning his keep by chasing, and capturing unsuspecting rats.
For the final leg of his magnificent journey, Owney boarded the British steamer Port Phillip and sailed to New York City. From there, postal employees rounded out his trip by having him travel by train to where he embarked: Tacoma, Washington, where he was greeted with a cheering crowds. According to the Postal Museum’s records, the trip took 132 days and, over his career, Owney traveled over 143,000 miles.
Even More Awards
As a dog of mixed breed, Owney had to rely on his accomplishments to win awards—and he did receive many. In April 1893, he received the Los Angeles Kennel Club award for “best traveled.” In 1896, a dog show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, awarded him a medal inscribed, “Owney, the Globe Trotter.”
Although he received other awards, perhaps the one that meant the most to him was the one he received when he attended the National Association of Railway Clerks convention in San Francisco. According to the National Postal Museum, his admirers gave him a “rousing fifteen minute ovation,” where they “cheered, clapped, and whistled for their faithful four-legged friend.”
After a most remarkable career, Owney was given disability retirement, something he apparently didn’t like. In June 1897, he decided to continue his itinerant life when he boarded a mail train for Toledo. The details are sketchy here, but supposedly he was mistreated while being shown to a reporter and reacted by biting a postal worker. On July 11, 1897, he died of a gunshot wound.
Owney Lives On
Thanks to many loyal postal workers, Owney has a permanent place in history. They raised money to have this incredible dog preserved, and he was displayed at Post Office headquarters, until he was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. Today Owney, is a very popular exhibit at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., at the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NE, next to Union Station. It is open every day except Christmas.
New from the Postal Service! More Owney Information
Companion Curriculum Also Available for Use in Elementary Schools
Owney the dog is a loveable and inspirational figure in mail-service history and a friend to children and visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. This historic pooch is now featured in Owney: Tales from the Rails, a new free eBook narrated and performed by country singer Trace Adkins, and available two ways—online and as an Apple iPad app. The animated children’s story brings to life the amazing true adventures of Owney the dog and is now available on the museum’s website www.postalmuseum.si.edu/owneyebook.
The adventures of Owney, a scruffy mutt who became the unofficial Railway Post Office mascot in the 1890s, are narrated through contemporary eyes and based on primary sources with a dash of imagination. Never before has Owney’s story come to life in such an entertaining way, combining narration and a musical soundtrack featuring Adkins. Owney: Tales from the Rails was produced by Amusme, written and directed by accomplished Disney veteran Jerry Rees, complemented by world-class illustrations by Fred Cline and features music written and scored by award-winning children’s entertainment architect Stephen Michael Schwartz, with underscore composed and mixed by Chris Rhyne.
“As a father of five, history buff and animal lover, I am very proud to work with the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum to bring Owney’s fascinating story to life,” said Adkins. “The song and this story provide a fun way for families to learn together.”
The website and iPad versions of the eBook, developed in tandem with the Postal Museum’s new Owney curriculum guide (www.npm.si.edu/owneycurriculum), provide rich learning platforms
for elementary school students in geography, language arts and history. The illustrations and musical elements are particularly valuable to making the story accessible in multisensory ways for students who are challenged in reading.
“This eBook will allow families and classrooms all over the country to discover the story of Owney,” said K. Allison Wickens, director of education at the museum. “It is wonderful to see a book that combines such heart and artistry with historically accuracy. I love the animated illustrations and musical elements; they enrich the narration in ways a print book cannot.”
Owney, who is also the subject of a recently released official commemorative stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service, has been preserved and is on display at the museum. His encounters with his mail clerk friends provide an engaging and accessible window on history and the role dogs play in communities and as companions. This is the first of Owney’s published stories that is based on new discoveries in scholarship; recently uncovered articles and tags have shed new light on his relationship with postal clerks and his many destinations. From accounts of his origins to the detail on postal vehicles, uniforms and mailbags, the story conveys historical accuracy as well as emotion.
This project was made possible through the support of the Smithsonian Office of Education and Access.
About Trace Adkins
Adkins is one of country music’s most versatile and accomplished entertainers. His instantly recognizable baritone has earned him 15 Top Ten hits, and he has released gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums with total sales surpassing 10 million. He is an author and was a finalist on NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice. As an actor, he was most recently seen in The Lincoln Lawyer starring Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillipe. A member of the Grand Ole Opry, Adkins was raised on country and gospel and is known as a traditionalist who speaks his mind and honors the past. Beginning in March, he will perform intimate shows at theaters across the country on his “Songs & Stories Tour.”
About the National Postal Museum
The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps
and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C.,across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000 or visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.
Owney the Educator
In 1996, a group of school children read “Owney the Traveling Dog,” by Lynn Hall, and it inspired a very innovative project. A teacher and a class from each state hosted a stuffed dog named Owney. As the dog traveled, each class sent postcards that listed interesting things about their state and mailed them to other classes. They also sent an e-mail to the project coordinator so it could be included in Owney’s journal.
Another children’s book, “A Lucky Dog, Owney, U.S. Rail Mail Mascot,” by Dirk Wales, also tells about the journeys of this special dog.
