Sep 30, 2024 Celebrating the Adventures of Owney and Boji: How Two Famous Dogs Captured Hearts Across Generations

Image: Owney with Mail Clerk Friends | Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Dogs have magical qualities and abilities. They inspire love, affection, and a deep sense of connection. Their endearing antics, unique quirks, ability to “read” human emotions, and boundless loyalty never fail to touch our hearts. Even when direct contact is not possible, dogs have an extraordinary ability to capture the collective affection of an entire country. It is fascinating to explore how these canine friends leave an indelible mark on our hearts, even from a distance, and how the media shapes our perceptions of them.

We have chosen two remarkable dogs from different times and places to shed light on these questions. Owney, the mail car rider in the USA and Boji, the Istanbul traveler, stand out as the ultimate frequent-rider adventurers. Owney hails from Albany, New York, while Boji calls Istanbul, Turkey, home. Let us follow the journeys of these two dogs as a celebration of the unique and profound connections we share with dogs, near and far!

Owney (1888 to 1897), Albany, New York

Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution

From the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum website, Owney was clearly an original breed, a type of dog that today would have a two-page DNA report listing his ancestry. As shown in the National Postal Museum’s exhibit, Owney was a small dog and more than a bit scraggy. Owney was born around 1887. As a puppy, he wandered into the Albany, New York, post office in 1888 and became friendly with the postal clerks. He soon established a permanent presence at the post office as a full-time, on-site consultant. It was reported that he loved the mailbags’ smell or texture. As noted in the U.S. Postal Facts, he began traveling with the mailbags, first on mail wagons to the Albany train depot and then on mail trains to New York City and back. As his travels expanded, his colleagues and friends at the Albany post office started to worry that he might not find his way back, so they got him a collar with a tag that read, “Owney, Post Office, Albany, N.Y.” As his trips became longer, railway mail clerks along his route began to attach metal baggage tags to his collar to track his travels. The metal tags started to weigh Owney down until Postmaster General John Wanamaker, an Owney fan, had a special harness made to distribute the weight more evenly.

From the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century, the Railway Mail Service (RMS) played an essential part in connecting American citizens by delivering newspapers and mail. This included managing the special Railway Post Office (RPO) trains that sorted mail on moving trains. Around 1890, Owney added riding on the RPO trains to his travel itinerary, joining his growing list of mail clerk buddies as he traveled across the state and then the country. Owney became the unofficial mascot of the U.S. Railway Service. The cross-country network of mail clerks also addressed additional safety issues for Owney. He was accompanied by a travel voucher that recorded his itinerary and comments about Owney, and was equipped with a collection bag for his tags and medals.

In addition to the extensive mail clerk network, newspapers across the country wrote about Owney. In fact, over Owney’s life span, including the brief period after his death, newspapers in 32 of the then 48 U.S. states published articles about Owney. The US press fed the demand for the latest news about Owney.

The Evening World, a New York City newspaper founded by Joseph Pulitzer, published a delightful article on Tue., April 26, 1892, titled, Dog Tourist Owney, He Arrives in New York After a Trip to the Texas Border, Covered with Decorations Awarded En route by Friends, Travels Without a Chaperon and on Uncle Sam’s Mail Trains. The article reported, “There is not a clerk in the railway mail service from one end of the country to the other, who does not regard “Owney” as a personal friend, and “Owney” reciprocates this feeling of good will by absolutely refusing to associate with anyone who is not connected with the postal department.”

The Fort Worth Gazette, Thu, Mar 31, 1892, Page 1, reported: “A shaggy haired dog with filmy eyes-apparently about thirteen years of age-on arrival of the east-bound passenger train yesterday evening, with a confident air demanding notice, approached the door of the mailing car, and was soon the center of attraction for an admiring and curious crowd.”

Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution

The San Francisco Examiner on Tue, Apr 5, 1892, page 9, reports an update on Owney’s travels. “Owney, the dog traveler, whose history was described in the EXAMINER on March 23rd, has been here. He arrived in town over the Texas and Pacific railroad from El Paso last night and put up at the Huckins house. Yesterday, he came from Fort Worth. To-day he left for San Antonio, and from there will go over the Southern Pacific to New Orleans. The labels attached to his collar show he has put up at the best hotels in the land. He is in excellent health, although one check reads: ‘El Paso. Received in bad order’.”

Owney traveled approximately 140,000 miles across the United States in his lifetime. In 1895, he completed a world tour in just 113 days. Owney passed away on June 11, 1897, and his body was preserved through contributions by mail clerks. In 1993, Owney’s preserved remains were moved to the new Smithsonian National Postal Museum, where the Owney exhibit has become one of the most popular attractions. The U.S. Postal Service honored Owney 114 years after his death by issuing an Owney Forever commemorative stamp on July 27, 2011.

Boji (uncertain date of birth – still alive)

In mid-2021, across the Atlantic from the USA, a street dog named Boji, Turkish for the undercarriage of a train, began to capture the hearts of the people of Istanbul and far beyond. Many things have changed in the 125 years since Owney rode the rails. Boji traveled on subways, trams, buses, and ferries. According to a CNN Report, Boji has been known to travel approximately 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) daily, passing through as many as 29 metro stops and connecting with buses, trams, and ferries. He has shown an innate ability to choose the ferry that best suits his schedule. He became an internet sensation on Twitter and Instagram, with tens of thousands of followers.

Istanbul’s commuter Street dog, Boji, becomes internet sensation | Photo credit: Chris McGrath, Getty Images News via Getty Images

Unlike Owney, Boji had to navigate the modernized turnstiles or fare gates that require magnetic prepaid cards and are equipped with installed extensions to prevent stile jumpers. While he never used a fare card, he was not a “stile jumper.” Stile ducker may apply. Boji did not skip the line but patiently waited his turn to enter and depart from his chosen transport.

In 2021, Boji gained popularity on the internet and in transportation venues, catching the attention of Istanbul’s municipal officials. As with Owney, a group of concerned individuals came together to oversee his care. According to The Telegraph, municipal officials “all but” adopted Boji, ensuring he was vaccinated, microchipped for monitoring his travels, tagged, and provided with a kennel at a metro stop. Additionally, he received grooming tips. Photographer Peter McGraph, who spent a day following and photographing Boji for a story reported by CNN, stated, “He’s such a free spirit. All he wants to do is ride on transportation. Every time he goes past a bus, van, or any form of transport, he just wants to get on it. It’s really quite bizarre.”

Boji’s collar displayed his name to his co-riders, and his visible ear tag showed he had been microchipped, sterilized, and vaccinated. Subsequently, Boji was given an honorary commuter recognition designation, which allowed him to ride free, validating his stile-ducking behavior. The community, city, and country embraced him.

Despite being an internet sensation and receiving extensive media attention, Boji began his travels as a homeless street dog, facing all the challenges that come with that status, including lack of regular food, safe shelter, and medical care such as vaccinations and sterilization. In Istanbul, homeless street dogs typically do not receive the same attention and care as Boji, although local citizens watch over most street dogs.

Thanks to his genius, strategic thinking, and luck, Boji caught the attention of Mehmet Ömer Koç, a billionaire, Turkish businessman, art collector, and chairman of Koç Holding. In 2022, as reported by the Daily Sabah, Mr. Koç adopted Boji when he was staying at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) shelter, taking advantage of a warm place to stay during a cold period and keeping safe. According to reports, every need, including food, secure shelter, medical care, exercise, and grooming, is more than amply provided at his new home. Frankly, it was a union made by an experienced matchmaker. Boji was recently spotted in London riding in a bus.

Final Thoughts

Owney and Boji demonstrate that celebrity fame is not limited to humans despite the 125 years that separate their lives. What draws humans to follow and yearn for more information on these animals’ exploits? Could it be that learning about these dogs teaches humans that animal behaviors and learning abilities are much more complex and creative than we usually realize or accept? Or is it rooting for the underdog in the sense that these dogs have figured out how to navigate around and through increasingly complex transportation systems built for humans? As can be ascertained through these stories, Owney and Boji garnered support from fellow humans who cared about them and took care of their needs. These actions reflect the emotions these animals evoke from humans: compassion, concern, and love. The more you give, the more you have to give.