Today’s Times Union featured a story about Owney the Postal Dog. A new stamp is being issued to commemorate Owney and his travels around the country. All of those travels started right here in Albany. The Smithsonian’s Postal Museum website has an extensive history of Owney and his fame that grew across the country in the late 18th Century. Owney’s journey started at the old post office in downtown Albany in 1888 when he wandered off the street and into postal history. Owney was soon adopted into the hearts of local postal workers in Albany and around the country. He took it upon himself to watch over the mail both locally and on its rail trips across this country and Canada.
There are conflicting reports about how Owney wound up at the Post Office, one that he just wandered in off the street and the other that he belonged to a postal employee who brought Owney to work every day because Owney just liked to sit in the office where mail was sorted, he then followed the wagons to the train and eventually hoped on a train to keep following his mail.
Owney’s travels are memorialized on his collar that was filled with tags from every city and town where he made a stop. It was common for local newspapers to announce the pending arrival of Owney so people could come and meet him. He was an honored guest at post offices around the country. When his collar started to fill up with tags, the Postmaster General himself bought Owney a vest to wear and decorate with memories from his travels.
Today Owney has been preserved and is on display in the Smithsonian’s Postal Museum (OK it is a little creepy, but does show how much people cared since postal workers raised the money themselves to have him mounted). Also on display are the tags that were given to him and attached to his collar and vest.
Owney’s story once again tells us about how important animals are in our lives and the impact they can have on a wide variety of people. Owney became a star, not because he was a special breed or could do an impressive trick, but just because he had a great personality and enjoyed riding the rails at a time when trains were new to much of the country and his explorations captured the nation’s attention and imagination.
We will be attending the launch ceremony for Owney’s stamp on Wednesday July 27th at 10am at the Albany visitors center. Please join us to learn more about Owney.