Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

DOG TAG

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1955

Materials

METAL

No. Pieces

1

Length

2.4

Width

3

Description

METAL TAG WITH FOUR SQUARE EDGES AND UPPER RIGHT EDGE ROUNDED; TAG HAS HOLE CUT IN LOWER RIGHT CORNER. FRONT OF TAG HAS ENGRAVED TEXT “DOG TAG, CITY OF LETHBRIDGE, 8177”. FRONT HAS SHALLOW HOLE IN LOWER LEFT CORNER. TAG IS WORN AND TARNISHED AROUND HOLE AT LOWER RIGHT EDGE; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

ON JUNE 26, 2019, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED CARLY STEWART REGARDING THE DONATION OF A DOG LICENSE. ON THE LICENSE, STEWART RECALLED, “IT WAS JUST IN THE BUTTON BOX OF MY MOTHER’S AND WHEN (MY FAMILY) CLEANED UP MY MOTHER’S AND FATHER’S ESTATE IT WAS THROWN INTO THE BOX FOR CARLY AND BARBARA…1974.” “WE HAD TO GO DOWN TO CITY HALL AND BUY [THE DOG LICENSE]. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE, A DOLLAR ($1.00) OR SOMETHING A DOLLAR TWENTY-FIVE ($1.25)...” STEWART ELABORATED ON HIS CONNECTIONS TO THE DOG, STATING, “[I CONSIDERED HIM MY DOG BECAUSE] I JUST ADOPTED (HIM) WHEN HE CAME AND HE FOLLOWED ME AND SO OF COURSE I WAS OUT MORE AROUND TOWN THAN MY SISTERS WERE…WHEN [MY SISTERS] WENT OUT THEY JUST WENT TO A GIRLFRIEND’S HOUSE LEAVING US BOYS [WANDERING] ALL OVER THE PLACE.” “…BACK IN ABOUT 1945 OR 46 WE LIVED IN HOLLAND, MANITOBA. MY SISTER (HELEN MARIE STEWART) WHO WAS THREE OR FOUR YEARS OLDER THAN I…BECAUSE OF THE SHORTAGE OF LABOURERS AT THAT TIME, MY SISTER WENT TO WORK IN THE SUMMER FOR A FARMER TO HELP WITH THE FARMER’S WIFE TO PREPARE HARVEST DINNERS…COLLECT EGGS…THE FARMER’S NAME WAS JOE JEFFERY OUT OF HOLLAND, MANITOBA…[THE FARMER’S] DOG HAD A BATCH OF PUPPIES SO SHE BROUGHT ONE HOME WITH HER WHEN SHE CAME HOME TO START SCHOOL AGAIN AND WE NAMED IT JEFF BECAUSE OF THE JEFFERYS…[THE DOG] WAS A PRETTY REASONABLE MIDSIZED DOG, A COLLIE CROSS…IT WAS BROWN AND TAN BUT HAD FLOPPY EARS…MY DAD GOT A HARNESS MADE FOR THE DOG ON MY REQUEST…THE DOG PULLED ME AROUND IN THE SLEIGH ALL WINTER CHASING THE (OTHER) DOGS. DOGS LOVE TO CHASE CARS OR HORSES OR ANYTHING AT ALL…I WOULDN’T DETER HIM FROM DOING IT AND I WOULD RIDE ON THE SLEIGH JUST GOING TO BEAT HECK…THEN IN 1948 WE MOVED TO ALBERTA AND I GOT A LITTLE BIGGER AND THE DOG WAS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO PULL ME IN THE SLEIGH…I ALSO MADE A JOCKEY CART, A SULKY, THAT RUN THROUGH THE TRACES (OF THE HARNESS), IT WOULD GO LIKE HECK ANYWAYS AND THE DOG DID THAT FOR (A COUPLE OF) YEARS…(WE FOUND) A SET OF [JINGLE] BELLS LIKE THEY HAD ON HORSES…I STRAPPED THEM ACROSS THE SHOULDER STRAP, THE BELLY STRAP ON THE BACK OF THE DOG’S HARNESS…[ALL WE HAD] TO DO TO GET THE DOG HOME [WHEN] HE WAS OUT ROAMING AROUND…WAS TAKE THAT HARNESS OUT THE BACK DOOR AND SHAKE IT…WITHIN MINUTES OR SECONDS THE DOG WAS THERE TO GO, ANXIOUS TO GO WITH ME TO DO WHATEVER. MANY TIMES HE WAS JUST CALLED TO THE HOUSE, WE WEREN’T GOING ANYWHERE (WE JUST WANTED HIM HOME).” “[WE MOVED TO ALBERTA BECAUSE] MY FATHER HAD ASTHMA, EXTREMELY BAD AND THE DRY CLIMATE HERE IN ALBERTA WAS A GOD BLESSING TO HIM…HE FELT A LOT BETTER HERE. THAT BROUGHT US TO ALBERTA IN AUGUST 1948…THE DOG WAS MY BEST FRIEND I GUESS…WE LIVED ONE YEAR AT THAT HOUSE AND THEN WE MOVED TO STRATHMORE, ALBERTA FOR A YEAR FOR ANOTHER REASON. THAT DOG WOULD FOLLOW ME TO SCHOOL AT STRATHMORE. OUR (SCHOOL) ROOM WAS UPSTAIRS OFF OF THE FIRE ESCAPE…THE DOG WOULD SNIFF IT, SNIFF MY TRAIL TO SCHOOL AND COME UP…THE FIRE ESCAPE AND WHINE AT THE BACK DOOR (A BIG DISTRACTION TO THE CLASS) AND MY TEACHER WOULD LET THE DOG IN AND HE’D SIT ON THE FLOOR BESIDE MY DESK.” “I WAS REALLY THE ONLY ONE WITH A DOG. THERE WAS A SMALLER DOG LIVED ON THE SAME BLOCK…BUT IT WAS JUST A SMALL DOG AND MY DOG WAS WHAT YOU’D CALL TRAINED…I WAS GROWING, PUTTING ON TOO MUCH WEIGHT FOR THE DOG TO HAUL AT THAT TIME BUT THE DOG STAYED WITH US. WE MOVED BACK ONTO 21ST STREET SOUTH AT 8TH AVENUE AND THE DOG CAME WITH US THERE FROM STRATHMORE IN 1950…OF COURSE WE HAD TO HAVE A DOG LICENSE FOR WHEN WE WERE IN LETHBRIDGE OR THE DOG POUND PICKED THEM UP SO THIS IS THE DOG’S LICENSE THAT WE HAD. NOW ABOUT 1954 OR 55 THE DOG WAS FOUND DEAD ABOUT A BLOCK AWAY BESIDE A HOUSE, JUST (BESIDE) A REGULAR RESIDENTIAL HOUSE. IT WAS JUST FOUND DEAD ON A SUNDAY MORNING…[THE CITY DOG POUND] TRACED THE DOG BACK THROUGH THE LICENSE TO OUR ADDRESS AND MY DAD WENT TO IDENTIFY IT AT THE POUND OR WHEREVER THEY TOOK IT (HIM) AND THEY CUT OFF THE COLLAR WITH THIS TAG ON IT.” “I THINK HE WAS POISONED BUT I WAS SIXTEEN OR SEVENTEEN AND I WAS NOT DISTRAUGHT OVER HIS DEATH BUT I MISSED HIM OF COURSE…MY DAD DIDN’T TAKE ME ALONG TO THE POUND TO IDENTIFY IT SO…HE KNEW MY, MY DAD WAS A GENTLE PERSON SO HE KNEW MY DEMEANOR SO [HE NEVER ASKED ME TO GO ALONG]” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20190014000-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20190014000

Acquisition Date

2019-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail