Paddy the Wanderer

"Paddy the Wanderer" was a Ginger and Down Airedale Terrier. Paddy had been given to a young girl named Elsie, the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Gardner, by a horse trainer from Christchurch. Mr. Gardner was a seaman operating out of the wharfs in Wellington. Sadly, Elsie died of pneumonia at a young age  causing Paddy to grow broken-hearted.  He left home and wandered Wellington ostensibly looking for Elsie.

Elsie and her Dad

Paddy was a friend of cabbies, workers, and seamen, who took turns paying his dog licence fees every year. He was an exceptionally intelligent dog that learnt to cross streets only when the "walk" signal was green. He was known for greeting sailors in the Wellington Harbour and accompanying them, as a stowaway, on their coastal steamers. Legend has it that Paddy flew in an open cockpit (Gypsy Moth) plane, and, steamed to San Francisco and back.

The Wellington Harbour Board adopted him under the formal title of "Assistant Night Watchman", whose job it was to keep guard for "pirates, smugglers and rodents." People of the day reported that Paddy was particularly good at sniffing out smugglers and ship rats. It also was reported that Paddy had almost fallen victim to a dognapping scheme perpetrated by jealous citizens of Auckland.

Paddy died on 17 July 1939 at Harbour Shed No. 1 at age thirteen. He was taken to his funeral in a parade of twelve taxicabs and a traffic officer. The city was brought to a standstill for the ceremony. The Ladies' auxiliary of the local SPCA took up donations in his name for a memorial. There is a monument to Paddy on Queens Wharf, opposite the Wellington Museum, including his bronze likeness, a drinking fountain and drinking bowls below for dogs. Erected in 1945, it was paid for by Paddy's many friends and includes stones from London's Waterloo Bridge, bombed during World War II.

Paddy's water bowl outside our new apartment

So, what does this have to do with us?  Paddy died in the building where we just rented our apartment. The building is the old wharf office building that has been converted to apartments, office space, and the fine arts museum. There is a monument including a the water bowl dedicated to Paddy and his extraordinary life.

Queen3 Wharf  circa 1908- large building in the rear is the Wharf Offices building

Queens Wharf Offices today

Weather has been very "Welly" today and yesterday. Cold (9C | 45F), wet and windy. Definitely a good time to rug up, particularly when the wind whips up from the south (think Antarctica). Truthfully, it's not much worse than a typical Portland, Oregon, winter day... definitely better than a Wisconsin or Chicago winter.  Hey, it's why people eat soup. #mmmSoup

Fun Fact: Monsoon Poon is a Wellington restaurant where David Beckham once ate. Even today, his plate hasn’t been washed and it hangs on their wall.