Pacific Kennel Club Owney tag

Owney, American, c. 1888 - 1897 · May 6, 1893

Owney received this specially-engraved medal during his 1893 appearance at San Francisco’s Pacific Kennel Club dog show. A San Francisco Call reporter “interviewed” Owney for the paper, noting that the dog had “risen from comparative obscurity to be the best-known dog in the United States.” According to the reporter, Owney’s reply was a canine variation of the American “can do” spirit. That Owney “wishes it represents in the minds of the people that he is an example of what a dog can do for himself if he will only try.” The reverse of the medal is inscribed: "Presented to Owney by the Pacific Kennel Club / San Francisco / May 6, 1893."