Laddie...

Also at The National Railway Museum... Laddie was a 'railway collecting dog'. Between the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th century, these dogs collected money for railway charities (especially railway orphanages) at large stations throughout the UK. Laddie collected at Wimbeldon Station between 1949 and 1956, when he retired. He raised over 5000 pounds for the Southern Railwaymen's Home at Woking and spent his retirement living with the residents at the Home. When he died in 1960 he was stuffed and returned to Wimbeldon where he continued to collect for the Home until 1990 when he was retired for a second time to the national Railway collection!

Would we condone this now? Probably not. Were the dogs exploited? I guess so. And yet it's a nice story and I suspect the collecting dogs were well cared for and enjoyed their 'work'.