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HISTORY OF DOGS ON U.S. STAMPS
Even the history of stamp collecting reflects our
love for dogs. In the 1960s, only a few postage stamps depicted dogs.
Today, worldwide, there are more than 4,000 of them, and almost every
breed of dog is represented. Newfoundland has the distinction of being
the first country, in 1887, to feature a dog on a stamp; quite
naturally, it shows a Newfoundland dog.
This timeline features the highlights of dogs on U.S.
issues.
1893: The United States issues one of its earliest stamps depicting a
dog. The thirty cent stamp of the Columbian Exposition shows Columbus at
the monastery of La Rabida, discussing his plans, while a dog is at his
feet. The stamp is currently worth approximately $325.
1898: A dog accompanying western mining prospectors is shown on a
U.S. fifty cent stamp. The value of this stamp today is approximately
$800.
1959: A four-cent stamp for Arctic Explorations shows sled dogs and
their value to the explorations there.
1963: A stamp to commemorate the centenary of free city mail delivery
shows a mailman with a boy and a dog running alongside him.
1966: A mixed-breed dog is shown for the Humane Treatment of Animals
issue.
1972: The Mail Order Business issue features a rural post office with
a dog in the foreground.
1973: A dog is shown in the Postrider stamp of the Bicentennial
issue.
1979: The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Seeing Eye Dogs issue shows a
German Shepherd Dog leading a blind man.
1982: A thirteen-cent stamp features a puppy, and the year's
Children's Christmas issue shows children and dogs.
1984: A block of four twenty-cent stamps picturing eight different
dogs is released in recognition of the founding of the American Kennel
Club. (The AKC did not choose the dogs, neither was the AKC mentioned on
the stamps. The dogs were paired on the four stamps: a
Black-and-Tan Coonhound with the American Foxhound; the Beagle with the
Boston Terrier; the Chesapeake Bay Retriever with the Cocker Spaniel;
and the Alaskan Malamute with the Collie.
1984. The cartoon character Detective McGruff, the official
mascot of the National Crime Prevention Council, appears on a
twenty-cent anticrime stamp.
1986: The Love Theme issue features a sad-looking dog.
1990: Toto, of Wizard of Oz fame, appears on a
twenty-five-cent stamp.
1995: The Yellow Kid, a cartoon character, is shown riding on his dog
on a thirty-two cent stamp, and an environment issue shows a family at
the beach with their dog.
1996: The Christmas stamp for this year shows a dog with a family in
front of a fireplace,
1998: A set of four thirty-two-cent stamps features various pets - a
goldfish, a gerbil, a cat, and a Basset Hound.
2004: A first-class Neuter or Spay stamp is issued featuring a dog
and cat, both of whom were rescued from an animal shelter.
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