Paddy the Wanderer Fountain

Paddy the Wanderer was an

Airedale Terrier who wandered the streets of

Wellington

,

New Zealand

, uplifting the spirits of people during the Great Depression. Not much is known about the dog’s early days. According to one popular tale, he was the beloved pet of a 13-year-old and took to wandering the wharf after his young owner died of pneumonia.

Paddy soon became a familiar furry face on the docks. He supposedly had a penchant for predicting the weather and was employed by dock workers for security and rodent control, earning himself an official job as the “Assistant Night Watchman.” A whole range of harbor workers, sailors, and taxi drivers kept him well-fed and even turn took turns paying for his annual dog license.

Paddy’s adventures went far beyond the wharf and he soon became quite the well-traveled pooch. He had a knack for sneaking onto ships and went on a number of seafaring journeys to New Zealand’s ports as a stowaway. He even crossed the Tasman Sea and set sail to

Australia

a handful of times. Paddy made his way around land, too. Taxi drivers ferried him around town, and tram drivers welcomed him aboard. The dog was even once treated to a quick flight on a Gypsy Moth airplane.

When he died of old age in 1939, the city nearly came to a standstill. Hundreds of people mourned the loss of their local celebrity as a funeral procession of black taxi cabs accompanied his body across town. In 1945, enough donations were raised to erect a memorial fountain for humans and dogs alike in his honor.