Upcoming Book Preview: This story of a heroic Great Dane who saved his master and two other men during a fire and gas leak at 57 West 57th Street is one of almost 100 stories that will be featured in my upcoming book, The Bravest Animals of Gotham: Tales of FDNY Mascots of Old New York (2023). Jim was not a member of the FDNY, but he was a civilian first responder (or should I say fur-st responder?) who deserves an honorary mention in the book and on this site.
Archive for the ‘Dog Heroes’ Category
1913: Jim, the Great Dane of 57 West 57th Street Who Saved His Master
Posted: 26th June 2022 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Heroes, Dog TailsTags: 57 West 57th, Cosine Farm, H.T. Galpin, Harry Tower Galpin, New York City History, New York Women's League for Animals
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1924: Sport, the Richmond Hill Police Dog Who Rescued a Cat Family
Posted: 3rd September 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Heroes, Dog MascotsTags: Herbert Graham, New York Police Department, NYPD history, Richmond Hill Police, Richmond Hill Queens
A few weeks after a collie adopted the men of the Richmond Hill police station, he found a mother cat with newborn kittens in an alley near the police station. After carefully considering the situation, he decided to make preparations to be their knight in shining armor.
1893: Robert Bruce MacMurray, the Horse-Saving Fire Dog of the FDNY
Posted: 12th October 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Heroes, FDNY Horses/Mascots, Horse TalesTags: FDNY history, fire dog, fire horses, James MacMurray, Robert Bruce MacMurray
When James MacMurray left his position as herdsmen of a large New Jersey stock farm in 1893 to become a member of the New York Fire Department, he brought along his constant companion, Robert Bruce, a well-trained black and tan “sheep dog.” The two-year-old collie was trained to herd sheep, so he had a lot to learn about herding fire horses in city traffic. His training paid off in a big way…
1897: Jack, the Heroic Newfoundland Dog of the Ellis Island Fire
Posted: 16th March 2019 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Heroes, Dog TailsTags: Castle Garden, Dr. Joseph J. Senner, Ellis Island, Immigration Act, New York City History, Samuel Ellis
On the morning of June 15, 1897, a large fire destroyed the immigrant landing station that covered most of Ellis Island, causing a property loss of close to $1 million for the United States Government. Every immigrant escaped unharmed, thanks to the watchmen, attendants, doctors, and nurses who came to their rescue. All of the […]
1920: Kelly and Buddy, the Dogs Who Saved Their Family at Brooklyn’s Bath Beach Hotel
Posted: 27th January 2019 by The Hatching Cat in Dog HeroesTags: Bath Beach Hotel, Bensonhurst Hotel, Brooklyn History, Charles Wahn, Cornelius Furgueson, Fred C. Trump, New York City History
People often ask me how I find my stories. Most of my animal tales come from old newspaper articles followed by a lot of research. For this story set in Bath Beach, Brooklyn, there was also a large dose of coincidence. While I was doing research for my last story about the mascot cat of […]
