Skip to Main Content

Topiary Brownie and grave marker.

Brownie the Town Dog

Field review by the editors.

Daytona Beach, Florida

In 1940 a muttish Labrador retriever mix wandered into a Daytona Beach cab company office on Beach Street, which was then the town's main thoroughfare. The company and its neighbors called him Brownie, built him a dog house, and for the next 14 years he was a town celebrity. Each day he would make his rounds up and down Beach Street, going from store to store. He would wear a little can around his neck, into which people would put money that would pay for his food and his vet bills. The cab drivers chipped in every day to buy Brownie a pint of ice cream.

A Good Dog sez the grave slab.

When Brownie died in October 1954, he had 75 mourners at his funeral. He was buried under a granite slab in Riverfront Park, adjacent to Beach Street, so he could be near the place he loved and so people could continue to visit him. The slab gives Brownie's unofficial title, "The Town Dog," and then, as a heartfelt afterthought, "A Good Dog."

On June 12, 2018, a bronze statue of a dog, frozen in a friendly bark, was placed atop a cement pedestal next to Brownie's grave. Although the statue is said to be an excellent likeness of Brownie, it's just a generic dog that was purchased for a fraction of the cost of a custom statue. Brownie's supporters said that he would have approved of this cleverly frugal tribute.

Also see: Roadside Pet Cemetery

Brownie the Town Dog

Riverfront Park

Address:
62-94 Orange Ave., Daytona Beach, FL
Directions:
I-95 exit 261A. East on International Speedway Blvd five miles, then south on Beach St. A couple of blocks, in the park on the east side, at the corner of S. Beach St. and E. Orange Ave.
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

Brownie the Post Office DogBrownie the Post Office Dog, Daytona Beach, FL - < 1 mi.
Anti-Gravity MonumentAnti-Gravity Monument, Daytona Beach, FL - < 1 mi.
Moai With Glowing Red EyesMoai With Glowing Red Eyes, Daytona Beach, FL - 2 mi.
In the region:
Lightner Museum, St. Augustine, FL - 50 mi.

More Quirky Attractions in Florida

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in Florida.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Create Your Own Bizarre Road Trips! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

Florida Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

Easter Island Moai in America (Mar 25-31, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings