Worth A Stop

Patsy Ann
          Ship Watching Bulldog

Story by Valerie Porter

There's much to see in Juneau, Alaska's state capital. There’s the icy wonder of the Mendenhall Glacier, spectacular views from the Mount Roberts tramway, the Alaska State Museum, and more.

But at the Visitor's Center, located near the ship dock, you'll get the warmest smile when you ask directions to Juneau's hidden treasure - the Patsy Ann statue.

The bronze statue honors Patsy Ann, an English bull terrier who was dubbed "The official greeter of Juneau" in the 1930s. She was born deaf in 1929. It took several attempts before she found a loving home, and much of her life she had no fixed address but spent nights in the longshoremen's hall. During the day she made the rounds of local businesses and sat in on neighborhood card games, attended church teas, and begged for snacks at nearby cafes.

But it was another activity that made her famous. Between visits to her extended family of Juneau residents, she'd trot to the boat dock facing the Gastineau Channel and sit staring out to sea. Amazingly, when she became agitated and paced near the water's edge, a boat would soon sail in. It hadn’t been visible when Patsy Ann headed for the dock or began pacing. And being deaf, she certainly hadn’t heard its whistle.

The consensus was that she had developed a knack for sensing the ship's vibration from her position on the wooden dock.

Word of her uncanny accuracy spread and soon visitors clamored to see the clever dog on the dock. She became the most famous canine west of the Mississippi. Her photo adorned postcards in Alaska during the 1930s.

She became quite a town personality. In a pamphlet about the famous dog, Laura McCarley wrote that her uncle Louis Selmer enjoyed telling how once Patsy Ann trotted onto the baseball field during a game between Juneau and Skagway and took the ball away from the pitcher. With the score tied and the bases loaded, you would think the players would have a fit. Instead, they showed great patience and simply stopped the game until Patsy Ann was through playing with the ball.

Another time, she was sent to the "pokey" for not having a proper license, and the townspeople chipped in to pay for it. When she passed away in her sleep in 1942 at age 12, the whole town held a funeral, lowering her coffin into the water she loved so much.

Her legend lived on and in 1992 volunteers of the Gastineau Humane Society held fund-raisers to erect a monument commemorating the 50th anniversary of her passing. The statue is located in Marine Park. If you can't find it, the Visitor's Center volunteers will smile and say, "Just follow the path to the left of here, and you’ll find Patsy Ann there facing the water."

So she sits today, on the same spot she occupied many years ago, gazing attentively out to sea. (www.patsyann.com)

Northwest Travel Magazine September/October 2007