Winner of the Owney Look-alike Contest Announced

And the winner is.....Bentley, from Fremont, California.

In partnership with the Washington Humane Society, the National Postal Museum hosted an Owney, the unofficial mascot of the U.S. Railway Mail Service in the late 19th century, look-alike contest this past summer.

Before the submission round ended in mid-September, 73 dogs were nominated. Over the voting period, from September 16 to October 17, a grand total of 8,284 votes were cast.

Bentley's guardian, Judy Perry, writes on the National Postal Museum Facebook page, "Bentley is a 4- or 5-year-old terrier mix who somehow became homeless -- just like Owney. But, luckily, his travels (not on a train, but in the Tri-City Animal Shelter Mobile Adoption Bus) brought him to the Niles Dog Show in July 2008. That's where he and I met, and I adopted him from the shelter right away. He's a great dog and my very best friend."

She goes on to say, "In addition to receiving a blue ribbon, he was selected to serve as Owney's official stand-in at the July 30th Golden Gate Railroad Museum's celebration of the Railway Postal Service and USPS's Owney Stamp-Release. Bentley appeared at the event wearing a harness with lots of tags attached – just like Owney's. He must have caught Owney’s spirit, because he climbed right up the steps of the railway postal car and settled down comfortably on and near the mail bags. He seemed to feel right at home on the train, and he greeted everyone who came through with a smile, accepted lots of pats, and posed nicely for countless photos."

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