00:07
[music]
00:08
Narrator: On most days when Sam got home from
00:11
school, he was happy. But on this day,
00:14
he was sad. On most days Sam threw squeak
00:18
toys for his puppy to chase. But on this
00:21
day, there was no squeaking.
00:23
[music]
00:32
Sam's Grandpa sat next to him.
00:35
This letter just arrived for you my fine
00:37
young sir. It's not a real letter
00:40
grumbled Sam. You just wrote it yourself.
00:43
Well that I did. Admit Grandpa but it
00:47
still looks pretty real to me it
00:50
probably just says something like, I love
00:52
you Sam, fussed Sam. Astounding, exclaimed
00:55
Grandpa, you must have x-ray eyes. Grandpa
01:00
was trying to make Sam smile. It didn't
01:03
work. What's the matter, Sam? Asked Grandpa.
01:06
[music]
01:12
Billy called our puppy a mutt, mumbled Sam.
01:15
What's wrong with that? Asked Grandpa. He
01:19
is a mutt, I like mutts. But Billy said that
01:22
mutts aren't worth a penny,
01:24
pounted Sam. Oh don't listen to that
01:26
silliness, Grandpa chuckled. A mutt's
01:29
worth isn't measured by money. It's
01:31
measured by qualities like charm and
01:34
bravery, loyalty, and smarts.
01:37
Really? Sam sounded hopeful. Then he
01:40
thought for a moment. What is a mutt
01:43
anyway? A mutt is a mix of different dog
01:49
breeds, said Grandpa. Mix a Dachshund and
01:52
a Yorkie and you've got yourself a Dorky.
01:55
A Dorky? Made you smile, chuckle
01:59
Grandpa. You try. Sam mixed two more dog
02:02
breeds. What's this one called? A Newfypoo!
02:06
Sam laughed out loud. His puppy
02:09
barked happily. A Newfypoo is what
02:15
you get mixing a Newfoundland and a
02:17
poodle, explained Grandpa. I've seen
02:19
Bowzers, Chiweenies, Pinny-Poos, and Rat-A-Pins!
02:23
All of them mutts, and each one more
02:27
special than the next. But the most
02:29
special mutt of all was a mix of Terrier and mystery.
02:32
Sam's eyes grew wide with wonder.
02:37
Grandpa's eyes sparkled with mischief.
02:44
His name was Owney. Owney the post office pooch,
02:47
announced Grandpa.
02:49
That's a mail pouch he's perched on,
02:53
full of imported letters.
02:54
Wow, where'd he get all those tags? asked Sam.
02:57
From postal workers all over the country,
03:00
and all over the world. Postal workers like
03:04
you, Grandpa? You bet.
03:06
Grandpa grinned proudly. Sam scrrunched
03:13
his nose a little. Are you making this up?
03:16
Not at all, Sam.
03:17
Grandpa insisted, holding up his right
03:19
hand to swear it so. Owney was a real dog,
03:22
and the story I'm about to tell you is
03:24
true - as told to me by my own Grandpa who
03:28
was there when it all happened.
03:36
Look! cried Sam. My puppy is sitting on a
03:39
bag just like Owney! Well what do you know,
03:42
chuckle Grandpa. A pair of perching
03:45
pooches. Say that five times fast! No
03:49
chance, giggled Sam.
03:51
Shall we start the story? asked Grandpa.
03:54
Okay, Grandpa, but make sure my puppy can see.
03:57
[music]
04:01
I'll tell you what, Sam, you can turn the
04:04
page, said Grandpa. Sam was about to do
04:07
just that when Grandpa added with the
04:09
sense of mystery. And as you turn the
04:13
page, let's imagine that we've
04:16
transported right into the middle of
04:18
Owney's town. Sam's eyes widen as a
04:26
wonderful pop-up scene unfolded before
04:28
them. Where are we?
04:30
Albany, New York, replied Grandpa. This is
04:33
definitely the right place to find Owney.
04:36
But first we need to travel back to his
04:39
time, over a hundred years ago - the late
04:43
1800s. Back when most folks used a horse
04:46
and buggy to get around instead of a car.
04:49
[music]
05:02
We did it! exclaimed Sam, as the scene
05:05
changed. Is that puppy Owney?
05:14
That's him all right, smiled Grandpa. Back
05:17
when he was just a teensy thing. He's all
05:20
alone.
05:21
Where's his owner? Off in some other town,
05:24
I figured, side Grandpa. You see, his owner
05:28
worked at the Albany post office for a
05:30
while. But when he moved away he left
05:33
Owney behind. Poor Owney! cried Sam. Yup,
05:37
pretty tough on the little pup, nodded
05:40
Grandpa. Owney had every right to mope
05:42
around and feel sorry for himself. But
05:45
like most mutts,
05:46
he was pretty clever so instead on
05:48
whining over having no home, he made the
05:51
Albany Post Office his new home. He lived
05:55
at the Post Office?
05:56
He moved right in!
05:58
[music]
06:05
When Owney went to sleep at night he
06:07
could have complained about having no
06:09
pillow but instead he pretended that a
06:11
pile of mail bags in the corner was a
06:13
whole mountain of pillows. And he was the
06:16
king of that mountain! Good for Owney,
06:19
smild Sam. For the rest of his life,
06:22
mailbags were his favorite place to sleep.
06:24
Why did he like them so much, Grandpa? Nobody
06:28
knows for sure, Sammy, but I figure it was
06:30
because of those wonderful smells. Smells?
06:33
Sure, said Grandpa. Back then there were
06:37
no computers or emails. You just wrote a letter
06:39
with a pencil or a pen on a real piece
06:42
of paper. Can you smell paper? ask Sam.
06:47
[music]
06:53
Oh, without a doubt! When your grandmother
06:56
used to write me love letters, the paper
06:58
always carried a whiff of her sweet
07:00
smelling perfume...
[perfume bottle squirts]
Heavenly! Grandpa
07:04
inhaled deeply and made a silly smile, as
07:06
if smelling the best thing ever.
07:08
Hey you're funny Grandpa, Sam smiled. And a
07:15
dog's nose is much more sensitive than
07:17
yours or mine, continued Grandpa. So they
07:19
detect even the tiniest smells. I'll bet
07:22
you Owney was lying there dreaming about
07:25
all the smells his little puppy nose was
07:27
sniffing from inside the bags - cherry pie,
07:31
peanut brittle, the gentle scent of a rose
07:33
garden, smoke from a campfire... small clues
07:37
about who wrote all those letters and
07:40
what they were doing at the time.
07:42
[music]
07:48
Who's that man? asked Sam.
07:51
Why that's mail clerk, Clark. He's the
07:54
newest member of the Albany Post Office
07:56
starting his very first day of work.
07:59
He looks surprised, said Sam. Well you'd be
08:02
surprised too if a pile of mailbags
08:04
started barking at you, chuckled Grandpa.
08:07
[music]
08:11
On the post office floor underneath the
08:14
stack of mail, I thought I heard a woof,
08:17
and then I saw his tail. When up from the
08:21
pile popped the cutest puppy smile, that's
08:24
when I fell in love with Owney!
08:30
Did Clark like Owney and take care of him? asked
08:33
Sam. Yes indeed nodded Grandpa. In fact,
08:37
he declared himself to be Owney's new owner.
08:43
Before you know it, Owney's cute little
08:46
puppy smile had won the heart of every
08:48
mail clerk in the Albany Post Office.
08:50
They all became his owners! All of them?
08:54
asked Sam in surprise. Every last one,
08:58
chuckled Grandpa. From no owner to a
09:01
whole team of owners. That little rascal
09:03
had a way of turning things around. Clark
09:06
and all his friends took care of Owney
09:08
and shared their food with him. And Owney took
09:11
great joy in watching them work - sorting
09:14
the mail and locking the bags. Why did
09:16
they lock the bags, Grandpa?
09:18
[music]
09:22
Because every piece of mail inside those
09:25
bags was important, and they wanted to be
09:27
sure that none of them were lost or
09:30
stolen. It was very serious work, Sammy. But in
09:34
the middle of all that seriousness, Owney
09:36
made folks laugh. He even barked out
09:39
orders and pretended to be in charge of
09:41
the whole operation!
09:42
What kind of orders did he bark? asked
09:44
Sam. Well, I believe it something like
09:48
this - one woof... the out of town pile - two woofs... the
09:54
in-town pile - three woofs... lunch!
10:03
Owney often wondered, in his doggy way, where the bags
10:06
went to when they were tossed onto the
10:08
wagons and carried off. Did he ever find
10:10
out, Grandpa? To Sam's delight, Grandpa
10:13
answered by singing another little rhyme.
10:15
We stacked all the mail bags on the
10:19
horse and cart. Head to the station where
10:23
the trains depart. The mail car is loaded
10:26
up, we hear the whistle blow. They call
10:28
for all aboard and away we go.
10:32
Toot, toot! added Sam. Woof, woof! added his puppy.
10:44
One day Clark noticed that a mail bag
10:47
was missing. Owney was missing, too! Were they
10:51
lost? as Sam. Well the bag was lost,
10:54
explained Grandpa. It had fallen off a
10:57
wagon on the way to the train. But Owney
10:59
wasn't lost at all. He had seen the bag
11:02
fall, and decided to stay behind to guard
11:05
the U.S. Mail.
[dog barking]
11:06
[music]
11:12
That feisty little guy wouldn't let
11:14
anyone touch the mailbag unless they
11:16
were wearing the proper postal uniform.
11:19
He was pretty smart, huh? Newspapers
11:22
called it an exhibition of excellent dog
11:25
sense! Not bad for a mutt.
11:32
Wow, Owney looks a lot bigger now!
11:34
exclaimed Sam. Yup, Owney went from pup to
11:38
grownup, smile Grandpa. And, in the
11:41
process, his bravery grew, too. So one day
11:44
when that train whistle blew
11:46
- whoo-oo - Owney jumped all aboard with mail
11:51
clerk Clark! But I thought Clark worked at
11:53
the post office, said Sam. Well Clark was
11:56
just as curious about the big old steam
11:58
trains as Owney. So he got a job with the
12:01
Railway Post Office. Now they could both
12:04
accompany the mail by rail. Did Owney like
12:15
riding the train? What could be better?
12:18
A buddy at his side, sharing lip-smacking
12:20
snacks... A pile of postal pouches to
12:24
purch upon... Not another tongue twister,
12:26
Grandpa... snickered Sam. Sorry Sammy, sorta
12:30
slipped out, Grandpa grinned. But the best
12:34
part of Owney's new adventure was discovering
12:35
that there was a great big world out
12:38
there. Bigger than anything he had ever
12:41
imagined! Going miles farther than his
12:44
doggy paws could ever take him! And this
12:47
hissing, rumbling, rocky train would let him
12:50
explore it all!
[train wheels rolling on tracks]
Owney's canine eyes spied
13:01
many new wonders like this crane rig
13:04
called mail-on-the-fly. To save time,
13:07
the postal workers used a special
13:10
catcher off to snag mail bags while the
13:12
trains still chugging along.
13:14
[music]
13:21
[music]
13:24
[mail bag being snagged]
[another mail bag hitting the ground]
13:26
[music]
13:31
After they snagged a bag of incoming
13:33
mail, they kick a bag of outgoing mail
13:36
right off the train. Sounds fun!
13:39
exclaimed Sam. And tricky, added Grandpa.
13:43
Put the catcher-arm out too early and to
13:46
slam into a telegraph pull, ripping
13:48
right off the train! Too late, and you'd
13:51
miss the bag. A missed mail bag would get
13:54
five points counting against the clerk.
13:56
Like a bad grade?
14:05
Yup. And I guess Owney didn't want his friends
14:07
to get bad grades, said Grandpa. Newspapers tell
14:11
stories of him barking at tired postal
14:14
clerks who'd fallen asleep, so they'd wake
14:16
up and remember him catch the mail.
14:18
Good for Owney! said Sam. Once they got the new
14:30
mail aboard the train, Clark and all the
14:33
other clerks sorted it and bagged it
14:35
just like they did back home in Albany.
14:36
To Owney's delight, he was riding in a
14:39
moving post office!
14:47
When the train arrived at the town of
14:50
Boston, Owney was in for a big surprise.
14:53
Boston had its very own post office.
14:57
Like the one in Albany? The building looked a
14:59
little different, but it was full of
15:01
friendly mail clerks who wore the same
15:03
uniforms that Owney was used to seeing. And
15:05
just like in Albany, they sorted
15:08
envelopes and stuffed mailbags, and most
15:11
importantly of all, shared their food
15:13
with Owney! Even though he was far away
15:16
from home, that little mutt felt right at
15:20
home. Now he had two homes! smiled Sam.
15:23
And Owney would soon discover that there were
15:26
homes like this waiting for him all over
15:28
the country. Every time the train reached
15:34
a new town, there'd be another United
15:37
States Post Office with mail clerks who
15:39
had heard how clever Owney was. They were
15:42
all happy to call him family. That's a
15:45
pretty big family, Sam guessed. In the
15:48
thousands! boasted Grandpa. And many of
15:55
those good people gave Owney special tags
15:57
and prizes to show how much they liked
15:59
him. This shiny tag was presented to him
16:03
in Boston.
16:08
Where did Owney keep all the tags? He let
16:11
folks attach them to his collar.
16:13
He was rightly proud!
16:22
[music]
[dog barking]
16:24
Owney love to stand for hours in the door
16:27
of the male coach as the train chugged
16:29
across the country. One day saw steamboat
16:32
delivering mail. Sort of a postal
16:35
paddlewheel. The mail went on trains and
16:37
boats? asked Sam.
16:40
[music]
16:45
Plus streetcars. And dogsleds! explained
16:51
Grandpa. Naw... snickered Sam. Puppy doesn't
16:54
believe you either. Truth! promised
16:58
Grandpa. Up in Michigan's snowy north,
17:06
they used dog power to get the mail
17:08
through. And let's not forget Mustangs. Like my
17:12
dad's car? asked Sam. Like a tough little
17:19
horse called a Mustang. It belong to a
17:23
young lady mail carrier who rode a sixteen
17:25
mile delivery loop next to Loop Loop Creek,
17:28
believe it or not, up in northern
17:30
Washington. They called her Plucky Miss
17:33
Malott.
[music]
Plucky Miss Malott, Plucky Miss Malott
17:39
Gives the post office everything
17:43
she's got. And only on Christmas lets hrr
17:46
horse trot. But that's the way it is with
17:49
Plucky Miss Malott. Up until now I
17:52
almost forgot, that hard driving dame with the
17:56
cute little name. But don't call her cute,
17:58
you might get yourself shot, or a kick
18:01
from the boot of Plucky Miss Malott,
18:03
Plucky Miss Malott, Plucky Miss Malott.
18:11
Owney became a celebrated traveler,
18:14
continued Grandpa, using the railway
18:17
system to cross the whole United States,
18:19
again and again, from city to city, and
18:21
state to state,
18:22
just like the U.S. Mail! And Grandpa
18:26
rhymed- Boston, Brooklyn, Wichita,
18:31
Denver, Dayton, Omaha,
Ashland, Oakland, San Jose,
18:37
Nashville, Knoxville, Oyster Bay!
18:50
What was Owney's favorite place? asked Sam.
18:52
He was plenty happy wherever he went,
18:55
shrugged Grandpa. A Kentucky
18:58
newspaper put it this way - the effete
19:00
East, the burly West, the languid South
19:03
and the energetic North are all the same
19:06
to his dogship. His dogship? laughed Sam.
19:14
You heard me - teased Grandpa. It's written
19:18
on this lucky horseshoe tag he was
19:20
awarded in Baltimore, Maryland. Why, he
19:23
was declared First in Everything by
19:25
this tag from Boston, Massachusetts. Down
19:27
in El Paso Texas,
19:30
the folks gave him a silver token that
19:32
was good for one drink at the parlor.
19:35
And in Corry, Pennsylvania, he even got a 25
19:39
cent coin! Did he spend it? asked Sam.
19:43
He saved it, said Grandpa, sounding very
19:46
proud of Oney. Like all his other tags.
19:50
Even though Owney loved the adventure and
19:53
friendship and gifts that came from
19:55
riding the rails, it wasn't all fun and
19:58
games, declared Grandpa, sounding a little
20:00
more serious than usual. One time Owney
20:03
took a train of North to Montreal, Canada,
20:06
all by himself.
20:08
Why'd he do that? Sam wondered.
20:10
[music]
20:16
Well maybe he wanted to see a big old moose,
[moose groan]
20:19
or hear a goose honk in French,
[goose honk]
20:24
mused Grandpa. But when the train got
20:29
back home, and the door of the mail car
20:31
opened, what do you think Clark saw? Owney?
20:36
Sam guessed. There was no Owney! exclaimed
20:47
Grandpa. And Clark started to worry
20:49
himself into a knot! He knew that
20:52
sometimes there were wrecks and train
20:54
derailments. Once in a while trains even
20:57
got held up by robbers who'd break in and
21:00
take whatever they thought was worth
21:01
stealing. Did Owney get held up? gasped Sam.
21:06
Sort of... said Grandpa. But not by robbers...
21:13
Is Owney in prison? as Sam. I guess you
21:18
could call a kennel dog prison, said
21:21
Grandpa. When Owney's train crossed the
21:23
border into Canada and reached Montreal,
21:25
he followed the mail bags to the local
21:27
post office, which was his usual habit.
21:30
Seemed like a good idea. But wouldn't you
21:33
know it, they locked him up! I'll bet Owney
21:36
wasn't happy about that, muttered Sam.
21:38
You got that right, Grandpa agreed. He was
21:42
a freedom-loving mutt. He wanted out. And
21:45
he missed his friends. Without Clark, Oney
21:49
was lonely...
[dog whimper]
21:57
and without Owney Clark was lonely, sighed Grandpa.
22:01
Then he sang in a wonderfully wistful way -
[rainfall]
[music]
22:04
When you go traveling with Owney
22:08
You're never in a lonely world
22:13
Were ever Owney goes
A chain of friendship grows
22:17
He jingles when he walks
22:18
That's his stamp of approval
22:22
You could never find a better crony
To join you on your daily ride
22:26
If the weather turns bad
22:32
There's no need getting sad
22:35
As long as Owney's by your side.
22:45
Did they ever let Owney go? asked Sam.
22:50
Well first there was a bit of a fuss, Grandpa
22:53
explained. The Montreal folks sent a
22:55
letter to the Albany folks, explaining
22:58
that they had Owney locked up. What did
23:01
the Albany folks do? They sent a letter
23:03
back to the Montreal folks saying, Let
23:05
the dog go! Did they let him go?
23:10
No. The Montreal folks sent a letter back to the
23:12
Albany folks saying that first they
23:15
wanted to be paid for the food and
23:17
lodging they had provided Owney.
23:20
Sam scratched his head. But if they hadn't
23:22
locked Owney in a cage in the first place,
23:24
they wouldn't have had to feed him at all.
23:27
[dog whimper]
[music]
23:29
I agree with your logic Sam, chuckle
23:35
Grandpa. But, the Canadian Postmaster
23:38
insisted that Owney would not be set free
23:41
until the Montreal Post Office had been
23:43
paid back for Owney's keep - every last cent!
23:47
How much money? asked Sam. A thousand
23:50
dollars? A whopping $2.50! declared
23:55
Grandpa. I know that doesn't sound like
23:57
much, but back then folks didn't get paid
24:00
a lot of money. So to them it was a big deal.
24:04
Clark and his male clerk friends all
24:06
pitched in a few pennies each and raised
24:08
the money to buy Owney's freedom.
[dog barking]
24:11
[music]
24:21
Everyone was so pleased to have Owney
24:23
back that they gave him even more tags.
24:26
He must have been happy, smile Sam.
24:30
Happy and heavy, Grandpa groaned. Too heavy!
24:35
By now there were five or six pounds of
24:37
kindness hung around that little pup's
24:39
neck. He needed some protection from all
24:41
that affection! Well, the hero who saved
24:48
the day was none other than the head of
24:50
the whole United States Post Office,
24:53
Postmaster General John Wanamaker!
Wow!
24:56
Always alert to improve things, the
24:59
Postmaster had a special harness made
25:01
that was spread the weight more evenly.
25:03
The tags were no longer a pain in the neck.
25:06
Owney was free to run and play and
25:14
his jingles made music, so they say!
25:17
When Owney trotted into town, folks could
25:19
hear him coming. The way they told it,
25:22
he jingled like the bells on a junk wagon.
25:24
A junk wagon? asked Sam. That sounds a
25:27
little mean.
25:29
Aw, Owney was rough around the edges and he
25:31
seemed to like it, said Grandpa with a
25:34
twinkle in his eye.
He made quite a stir
25:39
when he went cling-clanging right smack
25:41
in the middle of a fancy dog show!
25:44
Did they kick him out? asked Sam. No, sir,
25:48
they made Owney welcome at many exclusive dog
25:51
shows! The people did, that is. The fancy
25:55
dogs probably would have kicked him out
25:57
if they could. Then Grandpa showed Sam a
26:04
clipping from an old newspaper. Listen to
26:07
what was written about Owney when he
26:08
visited a San Francisco dog show in 1893.
26:12
Owney isn't out for a prize, just merely
26:15
for a visit. Speaking about this to a reporter,
26:17
Owney said that he had never
26:20
made any pretensions to a pedigree or
26:23
any noble ancestry. He just simply wishes
26:26
it impressed on the minds of the people
26:29
that he is an example of what a dog can
26:32
do for himself if he will only try.
26:33
Did Owney really
26:39
talk to a reporter? Sam gasped. I reckon
26:42
the reporter exaggerated that part of
26:44
the story of teensy bit, Grandpa winked.
26:47
I thought so, smiled Sam. Did Owney ever win a
26:50
medal? He did, indeed! That same year in
26:54
Los Angeles, Owney won a special medal at
26:56
the fifth annual bench show.
26:59
They described his point of superiority being
27:02
that he was the best traveled dog in the
27:06
whole show.
27:07
Maybe my puppy will win a medal someday, too,
27:09
Sam whispered excitedly.
27:17
By train and by trot, Owney crossed these United States
27:20
many a time. Even Mexico played host to
27:23
his joyous jingles. But now it was time
27:27
to circle the Earth! He went around the
27:30
whole world? asked salmon amazement.
27:33
He raced around the whole world, nodded
27:35
Grandpa. Just five years earlier, a man
27:38
named Mr. Train - and I'm not kidding,
27:41
Mr. George Francis Train - had traveled around
27:44
the world in just 67 days. He left from
27:47
Tacoma, Washington and wound up back in
27:51
Tacoma, Washington. They put up a shiny
27:53
plaque in that town to celebrate his
27:55
accomplishment. If Owney could beat that record,
27:58
it would sure make the news!
So, on August 19th, 1895,
28:08
Owney left Tacoma for his own world tour.
28:12
The trip was organized by Assistant
28:14
Postmaster Stockings. Hey! Wait a minute,
28:18
Sam cried. Stockings is our last name!
28:21
That's right, Sam. Your great-great-Grandpa
28:24
Stockings was one of Owney's great friends.
28:27
Wow! So this really is a true story.
28:31
Like I've been saying, grinned Grandpa. Owney was
28:36
given luggage so he could pack his doggy things.
28:39
Did he bring a squeak toy?
[squeak toy squeaking]
28:44
He brought a blanket, a brush, a comb, and
28:48
some of his extra fancy tags. When Owney
28:52
jangled up the gangway of the good ship
28:54
Victoria, hundreds of people cheered him on.
28:57
But he liked riding on trains, said Sam.
29:00
How did they get him on a ship?
29:03
Steamboats like The Victoria carried mail when the
29:06
oceans where trains couldn't go,
29:07
explained Grandpa. So there were lots of
29:11
mail bags aboard for Owney to sleep on.
29:13
[music]
29:16
[applause]
29:21
Out at sea Owney was treated like a king.
29:24
He had free access to the kitchen and
29:27
was invited to dine with the ship's captain.
29:29
They feasted on plumduff and lobscouse, and...
29:32
Plum-what? And lob-what?
29:35
asked Sam, who looked very confused.
29:39
Did you make up those words Grandpa?
29:41
Now I don't use made-up words for a true story,
29:44
Sam, chuckled Grandpa. Plum pudding and
29:49
meat stew with biscuits is all that means.
29:51
And they ate so many other tasty
29:53
treats, I can't even begin to tell you.
29:58
And Owney didn't have to pay for any of it?
30:01
Sam smiled. Because he was just a dog.
30:04
Well, in a way he did work for his meals,
30:08
Grandpa corrected him.
30:09
What kind of work? He was the official rat catcher.
30:12
Gross... well it made the cook
30:16
very happy not to have rats scurrying
30:18
around in the kitchen, replied Grandpa.
30:20
And when the cook was happy, Owney got more food.
30:23
[gong]
When Owney arrived in Japan,
30:35
the officials were very impressed with his
30:37
decorations! They thought he must be
30:39
either a dog of very high rank, or the
30:43
property of a distinguished person.
30:46
Owney was given a passport bearing the
30:47
personal seal of his Imperial Majesty, the Mikado.
30:50
Who was he? asked Sam.
30:55
The emperor of Japan, explained Grandpa.
30:59
Ruler of the whole country.
31:00
He gave Owney permission to enter Japan.
31:02
But inside the passport there was a list
31:05
of certain rules Owney was expected to obey during his visit
31:09
Like not jumping on the
31:12
couch? asked Sam. Owney was forbidden from
31:19
riding a horse while carrying fire, said Grandpa.
31:23
What? He was also asked not to
31:26
drive too fast on narrow roads. I have a
31:30
hunch Owney would have obeyed both of
31:32
those rules, even if he hadn't been asked...
31:36
Owney's journey took him from the
31:46
United States to Japan, then on to China,
31:49
Singapore, Suez, Algiers, Azores, and
31:55
finally all the way back to where he started.
31:57
Did he break the world record?
32:00
asked Sam anxiously. Well, no, Owney took
32:03
longer than 67 days, admitted Grandpa.
32:06
Circling the globe took him a full 132 days.
32:10
But everyone agreed that it was
32:13
still a rightly rapid rate of travel for
32:15
a dog who attracted so much attention.
32:22
Along the way, Owney met lots of nice
32:25
folks who made a fuss over him,
32:27
scratching his head and the like,
32:30
which means a lot to a dog.
32:31
And he collected over 200 new tags,
32:34
medals and certificates to add to his collection!
32:36
What a lucky dog! explain Sam.
32:39
You know, I'll bet that's exactly how he felt, Sam,
32:43
smiled Grandpa.
32:45
[music]
32:57
Owney, who was now called The Globe Trotter,
33:00
and who was probably the best known and
33:03
most popular dog in the whole wide world,
33:06
was happy to be back home.
33:09
He looks a little tired, said Sam.
33:13
Well, by this time he was getting on in years,
33:14
explained Grandpa. He limped a bit and
33:17
had lost the sight in one eye. He figured
33:21
it was time to retire from so much traveling.
33:25
Was he old like you, Grandpa? asked Sam.
33:35
Old and scruffy just like me, laughs Grandpa.
33:38
Yup, I think Owney was starting to look at
33:42
those Albany mail bags the same way I
33:44
look at our couch these days -
33:46
a cozy refuge upon which to park the old
33:49
caboose, if you get my drift. I wonder if
33:53
he snored like you? snickered Sam.
33:56
You probably couldn't tell us apart! grinned Grandpa.
33:58
Owney took one more trip
34:01
way out west to San Francisco in 1897.
34:05
He attended a convention of the National
34:07
Association of Railway Clerks. Well, these
34:10
were all his old friends, his family -
34:13
thousands of them - the whole audience!
34:17
And when Owney took center stage they went nuts!
34:19
They gave him a rousing fifteen-minute ovation.
34:22
They cheered! They clapped! They whistled!
34:26
[cheering, clapping, whistling]
Even Clerk Clark?
34:36
Especially Clerk Clark, said Grandpa,
34:39
launching into a tongue twister.
34:42
Clerk Clark clapped continuously creating a
34:45
crazy commotion at the convention.
34:47
Say that five times fast. No way! Sam kidded.
34:52
Grandpa's voice turned thoughtful now.
34:55
Of all the awards Owney had received during
34:57
his whole lifetime, this display of
35:00
affection was the greatest by far.
35:03
The best reward.
[applause]
[music]
35:16
To this day, folks still celebrate on his
35:20
amazing life, smile Grandpa, in books and
35:23
museums and even in song. Sam cuddled
35:26
with his puppy and listened happily as
35:28
Grandpa sang.
35:39
[song]
I’M A POST OFFICE CLERK
HERE IN ALBANY, NEW YORK
DEVOTED TO MY WORK
BUSY AS A STORK
MAKING SURE THE MAIL
GETS TO EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD
NOW HERE’S WHERE THE STORY GET’S GOOD
ON THE POST OFFICE FLOOR
UNDERNEATH A STACK OF MAIL
I THOUGHT I HEARD A “WOOF”
BUT THEN I SAW HIS TAIL
WHEN UP FROM THE PILE
POPPED THE CUTEST PUPPY SMILE
THAT’S WHEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH OWNEY
WHEN YOU GO TRAVELING WITH OWNEY
YOU’RE NEVER IN A LONELY WORLD
WHEREVER OWNEY GOES
A CHAIN OF FRIENDSHIP GROWS
HE JINGLES WHEN HE WALKS
THAT’S HIS STAMP OF APPROVAL
YOU COULD NEVER FIND A BETTER CRONY
TO JOIN YOU ON YOUR DAILY RIDE
IF THE WEATHER TURNS BAD
THERE’S NO NEED GETTING SAD
AS LONG AS OWNEY’S BY YOUR SIDE
WE STACK ALL THE MAIL BAGS
ON THE HORSE AND CART
HEAD TO THE STATION
WHERE THE TRAINS DEPART
THE MAIL CAR IS LOADED UP
AND WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
OWNEY HOPS ABOARD
AND AWAY HE GOES
AND SO THE LEGEND GROWS
ALL ABOARD!!!!
[locomotive whistle blow]
EVERYWHERE HE GOES IN THIS GREAT BIG NATION
OWNEY GETS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION
EVERYWHERE HE GOES IN THIS GREAT BIG NATION
OWNEY GETS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION
(spoken)
Man 1: Go, little Owney!!
Man 2: Hey Owney, got any mail for me?
Boy: Go Owney! Go!
(Spoken/Megaphone)
OWNEY HAS BEEN HONORED
FROM SEATTLE TO QUEBEC
WITH TOKENS OF AFFECTION
PROUDLY PLACED ROUND HIS NECK
I’VE NEVER SEEN A DOG
COMMAND SO MUCH RESPECT
LET’S HEAR IT FOR OUR POST OFFICE POOCH
EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ ‘BOUT OWNEY
THE PRIDE OF THE US MAIL
BAGS ARE TOSSED ABOUT
TRAINS GO IN AND OUT
BUT OWNEY KNOWS EXACTLY
THE ROUTE TO BE TAKEN
YANKEE DOODLE RIDING ON HIS PONY
WOULD BUCKLE UNDER SUCH A STRAIN
BUT WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
EVERYBODY KNOWS
OWNEY’S RIDING ON THAT TRAIN
WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
EVERYBODY KNOWS
OWNEY’S RIDING ON THAT TRAIN
BOSTON BROOKLYN WICHITA
DENVER DAYTON OMAHA
AHSLAND OAKLAND SAN JOSE
NASHVILLE KNOXVILLE OYSTER BAY
FLAGSTAFF EVANSVILE MUNCIE QUEENS
ALBUQUERQUE LANCASTER NEW ORLEANS
LOUISVILLE JACKSON HOLE SYRACUSE
PASADENA LITTLE ROCK BATTON ROUGUE
EVERYWHERE HE GOES IN THIS GREAT BIG NATION
OWNEY GETS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION
EVERYWHERE HE GOES IN THIS GREAT BIG NATION
OWNEY GETS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION
EVERYWHERE HE GOES IN THIS GREAT BIG NATION
OWNEY GETS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION
[end of song]
39:42
How did Owney's story make you feel, Sam? asked Grandpa.
39:45
Like I'm proud to own a mutt! exclaimed Sam.
39:48
Have you picked a name
39:51
for your puppy yet? inquired Grandpa.
Tags!
39:55
Ah, fine choice, nodded Grandpa.
39:59
Now if you don't mind, I'll just open
40:02
that letter I brought you earlier today, and -
40:03
why lookie-here!
40:06
It's a pair of tickets for Sam and Tags,
40:08
good for one ride on the Owney Express!
40:12
No it's not, snickered Sam. You're just joking.
40:14
[music]
40:21
Okay you busted me, Sam.
40:23
Wait Grandpa I am joking about the
40:26
tickets but I'm one hundred and infinity
40:29
percent serious about that train ride!
40:31
Let's go!
40:32
Can we start in Albany? Sam asked, hugging
40:35
Tags with excitement.
40:36
Albany station! All aboard! bellowed Grandpa.
40:40
Toot-toot! hooted Sam.
40:43
Woof-woof! barked Tags.
40:45
Jingle-jangle added Owney from across the years.
40:49
[music]
