June 25, 1940. The Scranton Times newsroom was busy with the events of the day. Paris had fallen to the Nazis 11 days before. The Soviet Union demanded that Romania cede part of its land. Americans debated how involved they should get in the Second World War. The Republican National Convention was in full swing in Philadelphia.
Into this bustling atmosphere walked Mrs. Henry Schleining with some news of her own. Scranton Times was dead. Her announcement referred not to the newspaper, but to her champion Boston terrier named Scranton Times. Joe M. Butler, writer of "The Sportscope" column, reported the event. It was him Mrs. Schleining had come to see. "On numerous occasions during the last 10 years," he wrote, he and the dog owner "spent many happy hours together," over the achievements of the "beautifully marked and well-mannered" dog.
Thirteen years and five months old, Scranton Times had never taken a "sick day," never been treated by a veterinarian for illness or injury. But one month before his death, this dog, who had been judged best in his breed and class for eight years in the Lackawanna Valley and won many trophies and ribbons, developed a severe nervous condition. Gradually, his eyesight failed and he had to be led around the family home at 1346 Wyoming Ave. in Scranton.
Scranton Times was the son of Royal Oak of the nationally known Thordy Kennels in Detroit. When he was 7 weeks old, the Schleining family brought him to Scranton and named him after the newspaper. In April 1932, the dog and his half-brother, Burger's Rex, owned by Betty Burger of Taylor Avenue, both won blue ribbons at the eighth annual dog show of the Lackawanna Kennel Club at the Watres Armory.
Dog shows were big in the city at the time. The Lackawanna Kennel Club conducted its shows as a member of the New York circuit. Since its inception, it had grown in both size and prestige. It gained a reputation as one of the best for sporting dogs and bulldogs. Each year, hundreds of entrants competed for The Scranton Times silver trophy, many of them valuable dogs who had won blue ribbons at other shows, including the famous Westminster Kennel Club show.
Scranton Times won his class in 1932, defeating a Canadian champion who was favored to win. Mrs. Schleining's beloved dog was also judged the best Boston terrier in the local open class in the same exhibition. Scranton Times, at the height of his career, also won top awards at shows in Reading, Wilkes-Barre and other cities throughout Pennsylvania. His American Kennel Club registration number was, according to Mr. Butler, 590301.
The Saturday before Mrs. Schleining brought the news of Scranton Times death to the paper for which he was named, the dog paced the rooms of his family's home for hours, and, at approximately 9:30 at night, he breathed his last. Heart trouble was cited as the cause of death.
The following day, the Schleining family laid their beloved pet to rest in a specially prepared, silk-lined casket beneath the most beautiful flower bed in their garden.
At the time of his death, Scranton Times was a great grandfather. A son, Scranton Times Jr., carried on the fine family tradition established by his father. The day Mr. Butler wrote about his canine friend, a wee puppy of Scranton Times' bloodline struggled to hold onto life in the Schleining kennels. Weighing just one quarter of a pound when it was born two weeks before, the pup was fed with an eye dropper. "The tiny dog looks like a 10-cent top in my hand," Mrs. Schleining said "but I'm hopeful of pulling him through,"
CHERYL A. KASHUBA is a freelance writer specializing in local history. Visit her at scrantonhistory.com.
Contact the writer: localhistory@timesshamrock.com.