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Story: Pets

Fire brigade mascot

Image
Fire brigade mascot

The Whanganui fire brigade pose for a photograph on their fire engine in 1926, with a canine mascot on the running board. It is traditional for armed forces to keep animals as mascots, and this custom was continued by sports teams and many other community groups.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/1-017502; F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Pets – History of pets in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/19739/fire-brigade-mascot (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 1 March 2009.

Comments

Bryan Barkla
17 October 2014
The dog's name in the Wanganui photo was Scnick