What is That

Patsy Ann: An Alaskan Hero

by Dianna Winget

You can find this commemorative statue of Patsy Ann on the dock at Juneau, Alaska. Courtesy of the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The statue of Patsy Ann greets each ship just as the real dog did years ago. Courtesy of the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The real Patsy Ann on the dock with a ship in the background. Courtesy of the Alaska State Library, Butler/Dale Photograph Collection.

Patsy Ann was named the official greeter of Juneau, Alaska in 1934. Courtesy of the Alaska State Library, Mary Nan Gamble Photograph Collection.

On the wharf in Juneau, Alaska is a life-size bronze statue of an English bull terrier. The statue is a tribute to the legendary dog, Patsy Ann, who faithfully greeted nearly every ship that docked at Juneau from 1930 to 1942. Each year, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Juneau by cruise ship and many of them stop to admire, take photos with, and even pet Patsy Ann’s sculpture.

Although some details of her early life are missing, it’s known that Patsy Ann was born in Portland, Oregon on October 12, 1929. Juneau dentist, Dr. Keyser, bought Patsy Ann for his twin daughters, Esther and Elizabeth. But for some reason the arrangement didn’t work out, and the family gave her to the Dean Rice family. But Patsy Ann was not a one-family dog. She tended to escape and make her rounds, mingling with people and looking for handouts. Owned by no one, but liked by everybody, Patsy Ann simply became a canine citizen of Juneau.

Residents soon noticed two things about the bull terrier. First, she was completely deaf, and second, she always headed for the wharf at a fast trot whenever a ship was due. In fact, she’d head for the pier long before any ship came into sight. Her ability to "hear" approaching ships was a mystery. Could she smell the ship, or feel its rumble? And how did she always seem to know which of the seven docks it was headed for?

Residents love to tell the story of the time there was a crowd of people standing at the wrong dock because of a misprint in the newspaper. Patsy Ann headed for the correct dock and staked her spot, casting occasional glances in the direction of the crowd. People eventually started walking toward Patsy Ann when they saw the ship was headed for her dock.

For twelve years the friendly terrier gave a warm, wiggling welcome to virtually every ship that docked at Juneau. Despite bitter cold, pouring rain, or stinging sleet, Patsy Ann always stopped whatever she was doing and headed for the wharf whenever a ship approached. She’d balance at the end of the often groaning, surging dock, and stare straight ahead into the gloomy mist, her ears tossed by the biting wind that ripped through Gastineau Channel. As the ship finally broke through the fog and lumbered its way to the dock, her little body would quiver with happiness. A hug or pat from the passengers or a tasty tidbit from the ship’s cook was all she ever asked in return.

In 1934, Juneau Mayor Goldstein named Patsy Ann the official greeter of Juneau, Alaska. This gave Patsy Ann the special privilege of being exempt from dog-licensing laws, which was good, since she’d long since removed the collar once buckled around her neck.

In between ships, Patsy Ann liked eating at the old City Café, cooling off during the summer with a sip of beer at the Imperial Saloon, and curling up in winter near the pot-bellied stove at the old Alaska Empire building. Most nights she slept in the Longshoremen’s Hall, snoring softly and twitching with doggie dreams. It was here that she passed away on March 30, 1942, at the age of twelve. The following day, a crowd of mourners watched as her coffin was lowered into the cold waters of Gastineau Channel. The remarkable dog was gone, but definitely not forgotten.

In 1992, volunteers at the Gastineau Humane Society held numerous fund-raising events in honor of the 50th anniversary of Patsy Ann’s death so that they could have an artist create a sculpture of the little dog. Albuquerque, New Mexico, artist, Anna Burke Harris, answered the call. Raised by a family of artists and animal breeders, and a breeder of bull terriers herself, Harris was the perfect person for the job.

"When I first heard of the effort to honor Patsy Ann," she said, "I decided to submit drawings and send a proposal. The importance of this remarkable dog and her story were something I wanted to work out in art."

Harris worked from a 1939 life drawing of Patsy Ann by Josephine Crumrine, along with photographs taken during the 1930s by Trevor Davis. Patsy Ann didn’t have the typical upright ears of a bull terrier, so Harris crafted her in a natural "sitting and watching" pose with the down-eared expression of a dog awaiting the approach of a friend. After Patsy Ann was sculpted and cast, she was crated up and sent to Alaska—part of the way by ship.

On July 3, 1992, following a fancy reception aboard the Regal Princess cruise ship, the life-sized bronze statue of Patsy Ann was unveiled at Pasty Ann Square along the waterfront. Placed on Juneau’s main dock, "Patsy Ann" could once again welcome visitors as she had so many years before.

When asked why she agreed to sculpt the statue, Anna Burke Harris replied simply, "For many, many years my work in sculpture has been a search for heroes." She had found one in Patsy Ann.

DIANNA WINGET writes both fiction and non-fiction for young readers. She is a life-long resident of the Pacific Northwest and lives in the mountains of North Idaho with her husband, 11 year-old daughter, and two canine buddies, Lacey and Sassy.