Imagine you arrive in Juneau, Alaska after a long sea voyage or bus ride.
You step off the dock, breathing in the crisp air, then your eyes land on a statue of a dog—it’s Patsy Ann, bull terrier extraordinaire, forever greeting ships and visitors just like she did in life.
But her real story? It’s even more charming than the bronze makes it seem.
Patsy Ann came into the world in October 1929, born in Portland, Oregon—but deaf from birth.
Despite not hearing a thing, she had an uncanny ability: she “felt” when steamship whistles sounded, long before the ship was in sight, and trotted straight to the correct dock to greet it.
People swore she knew which dock to go to even when the crowd was waiting at the wrong one.
Juneau soon adopted her into its heart.
She wandered theaters during performances, visited local shops for a treat (hers was candy bars from fans), made rounds among hotel lobbies and saloon bars—wherever there were people and food and warmth.
She belonged to no one person, but to everyone.
In 1934, amid dog licensing laws, Mayor Goldstein formally declared Patsy Ann the Official Greeter of Juneau, Alaska.
She got a license, a collar, a title—but the job was always in her heart.
Wherever a steamship whistle blew, Patsy Ann answered. She didn’t need hearing; she needed presence.
Over time, her own quirks showed her affection for the town.
She’d leave paw prints on fresh sidewalks, hang out at the Longshoreman’s Hall at night, swim in cold water channels, enjoy scraps from ship cooks, and always, always head to the dock when a ship was coming.
Even as age slowed her gait, she never missed a greeting.
Patsy Ann passed away in 1942, at Longshoreman’s Hall.
The next morning, the citizens of Juneau gathered in sorrow—and love—lowered her coffin into Gastineau Channel, right off the dock she’d loved so much.
Her legend didn’t fade. Fifty years later, in 1992, a statue was commissioned by the Friends of Patsy Ann, sculpted by Anna Burke Harris.
When they cast the bronze, dog hair from all over the world was mixed in—a symbolic gesture to unite all dogs under the spirit of loyalty, welcome, and friendship.
The statue sits between Marine Park and the library/parking garage building, right on the cruise ship dock—still greeting visitors.
Today, visitors are encouraged to touch her statue, greet her, and leave knowing they carry with them a blessing of friendship.
Her coordinates: 58° 17′ 91″ N, 134° 24′ 17″ W—etched in local lore and tourist maps, a reminder that even in silence, loyalty speaks volumes.
Patsy Ann teaches us that sometimes, heart matters more than senses.
A dog can be deaf and yet know more than many do.
That recognition, that welcoming spirit, made her much more than a dog.
She was Juneau’s soul.
