Page from the fire log in the MFD collection, showing details for the Strand Theatre fire of 1927. Apparently, Doc helped firefighters stretch a hose to the third floor and dropped an infant from one of the roofs, into the arms of onlookers below. Four firefighters, McKinney, DeVaughn, Hare, and Feck, were injured fighting the blaze, and units from out of town were called to assist. Rumor has it that one of Doc’s bravest moments happened during the large fire that occurred in Morgantown in the early morning hours of April 14, 1927. Photo of clipping in the MFD collection, telling Doc’s story of bravery and spelling his name with a K. Doc enjoyed riding in a variety of vehicles and eating ginger cookies. Fitch, prominent local physician-this was the inspiration for Doc’s name. This article was part of a large section of the paper about fire safety and a new film, The Fire Brigade.Īccording to the Post article, Doc was a full-blooded bulldog given to the fire department by Dr. Jiggs and Stubby photos are from the Library of Congress Doc on chair photo is from the MFD collection.Īrticle from the Morgantown Post, dated February 23, 1927, found in the MFD collection and WVRHC microfilm. Photos of Jiggs (top, with man), Stubby (middle photo, with girl), and Doc (bottom photo, seated in a chair) for comparison. No info on Doc’s mother is available at this time, but I would guess he has some American Bulldog in him (a breed recognized by the UKC but not the AKC). However, according to a Morgantown Post article from February 23, 1927, Doc was the son of Sergeant Stubby, a mixed breed who was frequently cited as being the most decorated war dog of World War I. ![]() One of our photos, and a book about the Morgantown Fire Department, claim that Doc is the son of Jiggs, the bulldog mascot of the Marine Corps (enlisted in 1922 and died in 1927). Word on his parentage is mixed, but all sources agree he had a military parentage. No word yet on who this very friendly canine was.Īt some point, Doc entered the picture as the MFD mascot and fire dog. 1915-1920, of the firemen with a different dog in their midst. The MFD main office has a group portrait, ca. Doc may not have been the first fire dog. If we want to start at the beginning, we have to go back further than the bulldog I was interested in. He showed me their collection and gave me more information about Doc the fire dog to fill in the gaps in my research. ![]() They have captain’s logs, scrapbooks, clippings, photos, and other material that tells the story of the MFD if any of our readers have research interests about the MFD, you can get in touch with our fire chief, Mark Caravasos. My research took me into the archives at the WVRHC as well as the wonderful historical material kept by the Morgantown Fire Department. One of the Libraries’ Instagram posts from last month inspired me to research a dog that showed up in a couple of Morgantown fire department photos in our collections. Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.
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