Please join us as we unlock the treasured archives of the Past and as we explore exciting developments on the horizon of the Future. We believe both will enhance your journey as we navigate this complex world of the Bull Terrier together.
Patsy Ann - “The Official Greeter of Juneau, Alaska”
Her Historical Marker Inscription
Ships arriving in Juneau in the 1930's could count on being met at the dock by a small, white dog named Patsy Ann. A local dentist, Dr. E.H. Kaser, brought the English Bull Terrier as a puppy from Portland, Oregon in 1929. Although loved and kindly treated by the Kasers and later by The Rev. C.E. (Dean) Rice's family, Patsy Ann was not cut out to be a homebody. She became a popular dog-about-town, making the rounds of shops and offices where she was welcomed and given treats.
Steamships of that era did not arrive like clockwork as they do today. Juneau knew a ship was coming when Patsy Ann dropped whatever she was doing and trotted briskly to the waterfront. Although deaf from birth, she somehow sensed when an incoming ship was about a half-mile away. She also had an uncanny ability to determine the dock where it would moor. On one occasion, a crowd had gathered to meet an arriving ship. Patsy Ann studied the group for a long moment, then turned and trotted to another dock. The ship tied up next to Patsy Ann.
She eventually chose to live at the Longshoremen's Hall on Willoughby Avenue, where Centennial Hall now stands. Some said she felt at home there because the longshoremen shared her keen interest in the arrival of ships.
In 1934, when a city ordinance was passed requiring the licensing of all dogs, several people chipped in to buy the first license and a bright red collar for Patsy Ann. She wore them politely for a short time, after which they mysteriously disappeared. From then on, she went about happily unencumbered and the city donated her annual license fee.
Patsy Ann died in the Longshoremen's Hall in 1942. The following day, a small crowd watched as her coffin was lowered into Gastineau Channel near where this sign stands.
Because of Patsy Ann's unerring sense of the imminent arrival of each ship and her faithful welcome at the dock, Mayor Isadore Goldstein dubbed her,"Official Greeter of Juneau, Alaska,” in 1934.
Fifty years later, the “Friends of Patsy Ann” commissioned a bronze statue of the Bull Terrier for installation not far from where the mourners said good-bye in 1942. New Mexican sculptor and artist, Anna Burke Harris, worked from a 1939 life drawing of Patsy Ann by Josephine Crumrine, along with photographs taken during the 1930s by Trevor Davis. Anna included clippings of dog hair from all over the world in the bronze at the time of casting to symbolically unite the spirit of dogs everywhere. On July 3, 1992, following a lavish reception aboard the Regal Princess, the statue of Patsy Ann was unveiled at Patsy Ann Square along the waterfront. Her statue remains in an ever-alert pose, looking out over the channel for inbound ships. Visitors are encouraged to “greet her and touch her and, in leaving, carry with them the blessings of friendship through life’s journey”.
A study giving us a glimpse into the future of evaluating your Bull Terrier’s vision.
Dogs Watching TV Can Give Vets Insight Into Their Vision Mitchell Consky, CTVNews.ca Journalist
A new study attempts to understand canine vision using an unconventional method: encouraging dogs to watch television.
The study, led by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine, provides insights into how veterinarians can better assess canine eyesight. The authors say the research is important because methods commonly used to measure dogs' eyesight lack sensitivity.
“The method we currently use to assess vision in dogs is a very low bar. In humans, it would be equivalent to saying yes or no if a person was blind,” stated researcher Freya Mowat, a veterinary ophthalmologist and professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s department of surgical sciences, in a media release.
Launched two years ago, the study aims to determine factors about a dog’s vision based on how they interact with video content.
“We need more sensitive ways to assess vision in dogs, using a dog eye chart equivalent," Mowat said. "We speculate that videos have the potential for sustaining a dog’s attention long enough to assess visual function, but we didn’t know what type of content is most engaging and appealing to dogs," Mowat added.
The research, published recently in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, suggests that dogs are most engaged when watching videos that include other animals, particularly content that features other dogs.
“But if a National Geographic documentary about canine evolution seems too highbrow for your four-legged friend, Scooby Doo might be a perfectly acceptable option as well,” reads the media release.
The study was based on an online questionnaire for dog owners which Mowat designed to understand the TV-watching habits of their pets.
Dog owners replied to questions about the types of screens in their homes and how their dogs engaged with those screens. They also provided answers about the kind of television content their dogs most interacted with, along with information about their dog’s sex, age and breed.
Participants also reported detailed descriptions of their dog’s behaviour while they watched this content. According to the study, most dog owners reported active behaviour — such as jumping, running, or barking — in their pets while they watched the content.
Participants also had the option to screen four short videos for their dogs featuring subjects such as a panther, a bird and traffic moving along a road. The survey asked owners to rate their dogs' interest in each video and their ability to track moving objects on the screen.
Mowat’s study received 1,600 responses from dog owners across the world. Her findings suggest that age and vision were related to how much a dog interacted with the content on a screen, and that sporting and herding dog breeds appear to watch all content more than other breeds.
As much as dogs may be loyal to their humans beyond the screen, the study found TV-featured humans are less effective at capturing canine attention. According to the research, humans rank ninth out of 17 predetermined on-screen categories organized under the headings of "animals," "ball sports," "non-ball sports," "vehicles" and "other."
“We know that poor vision negatively impacts quality of life in older people, but the effect of aging and vision changes in dogs is largely unknown because we can’t accurately assess it,” Mowat said. “Like people, dogs are living longer, and we want to make sure we support a healthier life for them as well."
