The Museum of the Dog in St. Louis, MO

Visiting a dog museum was probably one of the last things I ever expected to do when I set out on a trip to attend a lumber grading seminar in Memphis several years ago.

In fact, visiting a dog museum was not really on my list of things to do--- ever, but I'm so glad I didn't miss it. Missing The Museum of the Dog in St. Louis would be pretty easy to do since there are so many other things of interest to see in that city. The Arch and Grand Central Station just to mention a couple, but, if you ever get to St. Louis, try to find time for the Museum of the Dog.

My trip to St. Louis was a bit of an accident. I only had a few days to get from Oregon to Tennessee for my seminar so I was putting in a lot of driving each day. I hadn't planned to stop in St. Louis, but was really tired and decided it was time for a break when I reached the city.

After a quick bite to eat and an hour alone at the motel, I felt refreshed and started leafing idly through the phone book, looking for something interesting to do.

In the front section of the book was a list of tourist attractions in and around St. Louis. "The Museum of the Dog" sounded like a joke to me so I wandered down to the motel office to ask a few questions. The lady there pointed me to their leaflet stand where there was a brochure telling me all about The Museum of the Dog. Even though I was more of a cat person than a dog person, I had to go and see it for myself.

The Museum of the Dog was fascinating.

This unusual museum, devoted strictly to dogs, had its beginnings in 1982 in New York, but was moved to St. Louis in 1986. Supported by the American Kennel Club through grants and donations, Its interesting collection of all things related to dogs is housed in a quaint looking house more than 150 years old and located in Queeny Park. (1)

According to the lady I spoke to inside the museum, only about half the items they own can be displayed at any one time because of space limitations, but the things that were out the day I was there, were enough to make me want to make another trip just to see the rest.

At the time of my visit, the museum owned over 2000 works of art, including paintings by well-known and not so well-known painters, sculptures, charcoal drawings, and photos. The art ranges from serious to comical, so you can count on there being something there that will interest everyone in your party.

When I went, the first President Bush was in office and the White House Dog, Millie, was included in the display. Fala, President Roosevelt's little Scottish terrier, was also there, as well as almost every other famous dog that ever lived.

A nice library where you can do research on different breeds of purebred dogs is a great addition to the museum, and they even have dog-related videos to watch.

Many dog lovers will be happy to know that Fido is invited to accompany them inside the museum. I didn't have a dog with me when I visited, but saw several people who did. If you would like to hear the reaction of one of these dogs, check out source (2) below to see a blog called Wire Wise, purportedly written by a Wire Fox Terrier named Lenny who visited the museum with his owners who took a lot of pictures, mainly of Terriers of course, for Lenny to post on his blog.

There is a nice little gift shop where you can pick up souvenirs from your visit, or more expensive gifts to take back home. Besides the usual gift shop items like, T-shirts, umbrellas, pillows, and jewelry, you will also find many doggy items such as collars and food dishes.

The museum is closed on Mondays but open from 10-4 Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 on Sunday. The entry fee is very reasonable; $5 or less depending on age.

If you are thinking you'd like to visit a place like The Museum of the Dog, but Missouri is not on your tour list anytime soon, consider some of the other dog museums around the country.

There is a great one located in Waco, TX. Terri Rimmer, an Associated Content writer wrote specifically about this museum so you may want to check out her article if you live in that vicinity. (3)

Another dog museum devoted only to bird dogs is located in Grand Junction, TN. In addition to the indoor exhibits, this museum has many realistic sculptures scattered about the grounds depicting actual hunting scenes. (4)

A quick internet search will bring up several more dog museums. Why not avoid one or more of the ordinary tourist stops next time you travel and try to fit in something different --- like a dog museum? You may find out that the "something different" is the very thing your family will enjoy the most.

(1) http://www.homeandabroad.com/c/110/Site/6016648_American_Kennel_Club_Museum_of_the_Dog_visit.html

(2) http://wirewise.blogspot.com/2008/11/st-louis-dog-museum.html

(3) http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/27606/antiquibles_dog_museum_in_texas.html?cat=7

(4) http://www.nstra.org/bird_dog_museum.htm