Many old stories have been told of the Brooklyn-born canine and feline mascots that went to sea (like Peggy and Tom of the USS Maine, as an example), but this tale, which takes place at Pier 12 of the New York Dock Company, is about a landlubber dog and cat who patrolled the Brooklyn waterfront.
Archive for the ‘Dog Tails’ Category
1889: Julia, The Lifesaving Dog of Marie Antoinette Nathalie Dowell Pollard
Posted: 5th September 2022 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Heroes, Dog TailsTags: 35 West 14th Street, B.P. Worcester, Dogs of Old New York, Edward A. Pollard, Marie Antoinette Nathalie, Marie Antoinette Pollard
A few months ago, my friend Laurie Gwen Shapiro, a New York City author and documentary film maker (and fellow Syracuse University graduate), alerted me to a mystery story about a dog named Julia who was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens. All she had was a list of those buried at the cemetery, which included “Julia (1889), secretly buried dog who saved an apartment building of people from a fire.”
I told Laurie I loved a good animal mystery and would have to look into it. What I found was a remarkable story about a remarkable woman named Marie Antoinette Nathalie Dowell Pollard and her lifesaving coach dog, Julia.
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
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.
1899: The First Professional Dog Walker of New York City
Posted: 29th April 2022 by The Hatching Cat in Dog TailsTags: Candace Wheeler, Dog walker, Dogs of Old New York, Mary Atwater Choate, New York City History, New York Exchange for Women's Work
Approached by a curious reporter for the New York Times on a cold, wet day in January 1899, the young woman attracting so much attention on Fifth Avenue explained that she was getting paid by the Exchange for Women’s Work to walk dogs. The reporter did some investigating into this curious new dog walker career…
Dog Days of Gotham: Free Virtual Talk With Jane’s Walk NYC
Posted: 20th April 2022 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Tails, Virtual EventsTags: Dogs of Old New York, Free Virtual Event, Jane's Walk NYC, Municipal Art Society, NYC History
On Saturday, May 7, I will be leading a virtual presentation for the Municipal Art Society of New York called “The Dog Days of Gotham.” The presentation will be one of hundreds of virtual and guided tours that will take place the weekend of May 6-8 as part of Jane’s Walk NYC. Registration for this free event is required.
