Any Friend of

OWNEY'S

Copyright 1966 by Carl L. Biemiller

Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York.

Published simultaneously in the Dominion of Canada by Longmans Canada Limited, Toronto.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: AC 66-10273.

Drawing by Charles Hawes, Illustrator, Any Friend of Owney's.

Even before "Albino Blue" and "The Hydronauts" series,
the ocean must have lurked in Carl L. Biemiller's mind.

From the Preface:

"If you are twelve years old and accidentally locked up in the Smithsonian Institution for the night, well you just have to do something. And Gib did it by striking up a conversation with Owney, the famous canine mascot of the Post Office. Owney tells Gib his life story, embellished with Owney's own estimate of his brilliance and bravery. And what a life story: Owney surf-rides a whale; he meets and charms the emperor of Japan; he outwits Chinese bandits; he saves the Illinois railroad yards from a bomb explosion. Owney really did travel, so not all the tales are quite as tall as they seem."

This photo is from the book's back cover. It is Owney as he was displayed at the Smithsonian. The Postal Service fitted him with a special blanket to show all his medals. The caption under the picture also states Owney was actually kidnapped and held for ransom in his life. Within the text of the book, Owney describes himself "mostly" as a Scotch-Irish Terrier, "...a blend given to conversation."

Owney is currently displayed in the new National Postal Museum.

Carl L. Biemiller's story of Owney grew out conversation heard by the author in the Smithsonian. Among the 400 magazine articles and a million words of newspaper copy, Mr. Biemiller has written at least five magazine pieces on the Post Office Department. In addition, Mr. Biemiller has written for Jack & Jill magazine and authored other books for young readers.
See Carl L. Biemiller

I think it's safe to say Owney was patriotic.

The wonderful tale of Owney is on sale as an ebook for Kindle at Amazon.com. The link below will take you there.
Any Friend of Owney's

Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum

Noble Dogs

 

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