How did a dog become the postman?

In 1888, postal workers in Albany, New York, began to know a dog named Owney. He frequents their premises and attaches to the mail bags. Soon, his movements far exceeded the neighborhood.

Owney accompanies the mail on the rail network. Postal employees welcome him, recognize him and attach plaques or medals, souvenirs of the places crossed. His necklace ends up telling a geography that many human travelers might envy him.

He became an unofficial mascot of the railway postal service. His travels do not prove that a dog understood the routes or schedules. But they leave a very concrete trace: around him, workers scattered over an immense territory have built a common history. The mail had found its most recognizable passenger.