Famous Animals of New England
From heroic dogs to tragic elephants, each of the famous animals of New England has an unforgettable story.
By Joe Bills|Aug 26 2021|
Chinook, a superior sled dog, was lost during Admiral Byrd's 1928 mission to the South Pole.
Credit: Public Domain8 Famous Animals of New England | Past & Present
Credit: Public Domain
The Famous War Dog: Sergeant Stubby
Though the date and details of his birth are unknown, the dog that would become the most decorated canine in U.S. military history was scrounging food on the streets of New Haven, Connecticut, when he began his journey to fame. In 1917, after being found wandering the Yale University campus, he was unofficially adopted by members of the 102nd Infantry, who had been training there. They taught him tricks, and dubbed him “Stubby” because of his short legs and tail. When the time came to ship out to France, Private Robert Conroy had grown so attached to Stubby that he sneaked him aboard. But Stubby turned out to be no mere pet: During an 18-month “tour of duty,” he was on the scene of at least 17 battles and proved himself an invaluable detector of mustard gas and incoming artillery shells; he also had a talent for locating wounded soldiers. His most impressive feat, though, was described this way in The New York Times: “In the Chemin des Dames, Stubby captured a German spy.… Hearing a sound in the stillness of the night, the dog, who guarded sleeplessly, stole out of the trenches and recognized—a German. Attempts by the German to deceive the dog were futile. Seizing his prisoner by the breeches, Stubby held on until help arrived.” Following the war, Stubby returned home to America, where he met with presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding and generally lived the life of a celebrity before passing away in his sleep in 1926. Today, a life-sized bronze statue of Sergeant Stubby stands in the Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park in Middletown, Connecticut.
This sign at Runnymede Farm in North Hampton, N.H. commemorates owner Peter Fuller’s champion race horses. Dancer’s Image won the Kentucky Derby in 1968, but that’s not how the record books read now.
Credit: Photo by Dmoore5556 / CC BY-SA 4.0Credit: Photo by Dmoore5556 / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Infamous Derby Champ: Dancer’s Image
A New Hampshire–raised thoroughbred named Dancer’s Image made headlines around the world in 1968, first by winning the Kentucky Derby, and then by becoming the first winner ever to be disqualified. In the race, Dancer’s Image surged from last place to win by a decisive one and a half lengths. Afterward, however, officials conducted a blood test on Dancer’s Image — supposedly at random — and found traces of the painkiller phenylbutazone, a drug prohibited from use during a race. They then awarded the Derby title to second-place finisher Forward Pass. Many in the racing world were stunned, as owner Peter Fuller and his trainer, Lou Cavalaris, were considered to be men of credibility and honesty. And how did the phenylbutazone get into Dancer’s Image’s system? A vet named Alex Harthill had used the drug earlier on Dancer’s Image to treat an ankle injury, but all traces should have been out of the horse’s system by race day. Fuller, who died in 2012, reportedly spent $250,000 in legal fees to try to regain his Kentucky Derby win, claiming he had been sabotaged by someone who either gave Dancer’s Image the drug or altered the test results. What happened that day still remains a mystery — although some, including Fuller himself, have speculated that the incident was payback for Fuller’s support of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement.
Andre the Seal and Harry Goodridge in 1974. Andre was Rockport’s unofficial harbor master for decades.
Credit: Photo by Lew Dietz / CC BY-SA 4.0Credit: Photo by Lew Dietz / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Famous Harbor Seal: Andre
Adopted as a pup by Harry Goodridge of Rockport, Maine, in 1961, Andre the harbor seal became a star of the New England coast for 25 years. Though Goodridge had a habit of taking in pets, few became as ingrained in the family’s life as Andre: He swam and went sledding with the five Goodridge children, and they all watched Flipper together on TV. Riding around town in the back of the family’s station wagon, Andre would get plenty of stares. As he grew, Andre would come and go as he pleased — sometimes staying at the house, other times disappearing for a stretch. Eventually Andre started spending winters at the New England Aquarium in Boston and his summers in Rockport Harbor. Every spring for over 20 years, he would swim the 150 or so miles north to Rockport, where he was greeted as honorary harbormaster. A larger-than-life granite statue of Andre was dedicated at the Rockport boat landing in 1978. When Andre died in 1986, he was believed to be the oldest living harbor seal. He was the subject of at least two children’s books, as well as a 1994 feature film that was most notable for the regrettable casting of a sea lion as Andre.
The oldest existing image of Figure, the founding stallion of the Morgan horse breed, published as a frontispiece illustration in The Morgan Horse and Register by Joseph Battell (Middlebury, 1894).
Credit: Courtesy of the Vermont Historical Society
