Patsy Ann: Canine Greeter
Patsy Ann, a bull terrier who came to town in 1929, is Juneau’s most famous dog. Her remarkable life is celebrated in a sculpture of her likeness which sits on the downtown cruise ship dock, not far from her final resting place in Gastineau Channel.
Patsy Ann's activities were recorded by Juneau's daily newspaper: she wandered up and down the aisles of the Coliseum Theater during musical performances, she stopped by local shops for bits of food and her favorite candy bars, and she left her paw prints on a newly paved sidewalk on South Seward Street.
Juneau Mayor Goldstein dubbed the bull terrier "Official Greeter of Juneau, Alaska" in 1934. Although she was deaf from birth, Patsy Ann had the ability to "hear" steamship whistles long before they came into sight and never failed to greet a ship. Although she died in 1942, Patsy Ann's presence is still felt, as a statue of her was placed on the cruise ship dock to officially welcome the hundreds of thousands of visitors who arrive in Juneau on cruise ships, as they would have in the 1930s.
Patsy Ann now sits at 58 degrees, 17 minutes and 91 seconds North Latitude and 134 degrees, 24 minutes and 17 seconds West Longitude. That puts her on the dock between Marine Park and the library/parking garage building.
New Mexican artist Anna Burke Harris included clippings of dog hair from all over the world in the bronze at the time of casting to symbolically unite the spirit of dogs everywhere. Visitors are encouraged to "greet her and touch her and in leaving, carry with you the blessings of friendship through your life's journey."