Owney
From local celebrity to world traveler, meet Owney, the scruffy mutt whose story touched hearts and ignited imagination across the Nation and around the world. Today, Owney is preserved in the Smithsonian but his story lives on. Emerson Primary is helping keep it alive with their Owney mail project.
Meet Owney
Owney was a scruffy mutt who became a regular fixture at the Albany, N.Y., post office in 1888. He loved the mail and began to ride with the mailbags on Railway Post Office train cars across the state and then the country. In 1895, Owney even made an around-the-world trip, traveling with mailbags on trains and steamships to Asia and across Europe. The RPO clerks adopted Owney as their unofficial mascot, marking his travels by placing medals and tags from his stops on his collar. He has been preserved and is on display at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.
About Emerson Primary
We are Emerson Primary and we are nurturing the minds of young learners, preparing them for future success.
Emerson Primary is one of two primary schools in the Sidney City School district in Sidney, Ohio, serving students in grades K-2.
Emerson has five grade-level teachers for each grade as well as intervention specialists, music and art teachers, a dedicated speech and language pathologist, occupational and physical therapists, and a dedicated school counselor.
Students participate in a specials schedule that allows them the opportunity to learn more in the areas of art, music, library, physical education, and counseling/social-emotional learning.
We were named a Hall of Fame School in the spring of 2024 by the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators! We are so proud to be Yellow Jackets and proud of our school and students.
Did you receive Owney in the mail? Send us a picture and tell us a little bit about your school.
We'll use this information for our Owney Tracker!
The Owney Mail Project
Emerson Primary's own Owney is off on his adventure. His first stop is Shay Elementary in Harbor Springs, MI. Check below to see where Owney has been and learn more about the schools he visits!
Owney Tracker
Owney's Travels
Shay Elementary
Harbor Springs, MI
"We have about 250 students in our kindergarten through 4th grade building. Our school is unique in that we have many outdoor opportunities–kayaking, ice fishing, and exploring local nature preserves–available because of our location and amazing community.
Clairton Elementary
Clairton, PA
"We are located outside of the Pittsburgh metro area. We are a small school district, and grades kindergarten through 12th are all housed in the same building. Our school has recently been recognized with the Good Neighbor Award for our work with our Foster Grandparent Program. We are blessed to have a Foster Grandma in each of our kindergarten classrooms. Just like Emerson, we have also just received a brand new playground for our elementary students. Further, one of our most famous alumni used to play for the Cincinnati Bengals... Tyler Boyd. When he was a student in our school, our football team won 60 consecutive games."
Owney has reached Clairton, Pennsylvania! Check him out, sitting on top of his travel package with the book about him!
St. Benedict School
Buffalo, NY
"Saint Ben’s is a private Catholic School in Buffalo, New York. (About 4.5 hours from Albany where Owney is originally from!) We serve over 440 students in grades pre-K–8th grade. Our school mascot is the tiger and our school colors are green and gold. Students at Saint Ben’s are fans of the Buffalo Bills football team and Sabres hockey team. Their favorite foods are beef on weck* and chicken wings."
*A beef on weck is a sandwich found primarily in Western New York State, particularly in the city of Buffalo. It is made with roast beef on a kummelweck roll, a roll that is topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. The meat on the sandwich is traditionally served rare, thin cut, with the top bun getting a dip in jus and spread with horseradish. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)
St. Benedict School
Buffalo, NY
"Saint Ben’s is a private Catholic School in Buffalo, New York. (About 4.5 hours from Albany where Owney is originally from!) We serve over 440 students in grades pre-K–8th grade. Our school mascot is the tiger and our school colors are green and gold. Students at Saint Ben’s are fans of the Buffalo Bills football team and Sabres hockey team. Their favorite foods are beef on weck* and chicken wings."
*A beef on weck is a sandwich found primarily in Western New York State, particularly in the city of Buffalo. It is made with roast beef on a kummelweck roll, a roll that is topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. The meat on the sandwich is traditionally served rare, thin cut, with the top bun getting a dip in jus and spread with horseradish. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)
Iber Holmes Gove Middle School
Raymond, New Hampshire
We are a small town and have a school of about 600 in grades 4-8. The sixth graders loved having Owney visit and had a hard time saying goodbye. He played on the playground, supported students who were nervous about giving a speech, helped with work, and even played dress up.
Iber Holmes Gove Middle School
Raymond, New Hampshire
We are a small town and have a school of about 600 in grades 4-8. The sixth graders loved having Owney visit and had a hard time saying goodbye. He played on the playground, supported students who were nervous about giving a speech, helped with work, and even played dress up.