Capital City Dog Names

There could only possibly be a few dogs as well traveled as Owney, a famous dog from the state of New York. Owney lived from 1887 to 1897 and belonged to a post office worker in Albany, the state capital of New York. He was notorious for guarding the mail bags, never letting anyone touch them but the clerks. He lived in Albany, but Owney traveled not just the United States, but the entire world on mail trains and freighters. He was sometimes gone for months at a time. Fearing he may get lost, his owner put a collar on him that read “Owney, Post Office, Albany, New York,” so that if he ever got too far afoot, Owney could be returned to sender. Anywhere Owney went, he was given new tags to add to his collar and soon he had quite an impressive collection! The Postmaster General was an admirer of Owney and he gave him a jacket to wear, displaying his many tags. Owney continued traveling into his old age, until he met an untimely death in Toledo, Ohio. He was a beloved mascot of the postal service and his body was preserved and is now on display in the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, along with his jacket of medals. It is not clear how Owney got his name, and though he is not named directly in honor of a capital city, he called New York’s capital home, and undoubtedly visited dozens of other capital cities throughout his extensive travels!

Rhett the Boston Terrier is the name of the official mascot for Boston University in the Massachusetts capital. The name is derived from the classic story Gone with the Wind, in which the character Rhett Butler has a grand affection for Scarlett O’hara. The connection becomes clear when you realize the official color of Boston University is scarlet. But Rhett isn’t just a fictional mascot, he’s a real dog! The real life Rhett is a Boston Terrier belonging to a Boston University alumnus named Cal. Cal got Rhett while still a student at BU, and though he is now a graduate, he still brings Rhett for walks around the campus and to see sports matches whenever he can. Rhett is typically wearing scarlet, and is happy to befriend anyone on campus. Though he may not be famous on an international stage, Rhett is certainly hometown hero within Boston – at least on the BU campus!

There are sure to be many more famous dogs whose names are derived from capital cities, but it isn’t always easy to make the connection without a little inside knowledge. When naming your dog after a capital city, don’t hesitate to get creative!