Brockville Museum 5 Henry Street Brockville Ontario Canada K6V 6M4 www.brockvillemuseum.com 613-342-4397
Digital Museum
Brockville Pets
In 2019 the Brockville Museum launched a series of "pop-up museums" thanks to a grant from the Brockville and Area Community Foundation. One of those pop-ups was about Brockville pets. Our summer student, Edward, turned that pop-up into this virtual exhibit!
Pets have been a part of Brockville life since the first Europeans came to the area. The first documented pet was a puppy named Tipler which Thomas Sherwood first brought to the Elizabethtown (Brockville) area in 1801. Dogs were quite popular, but cats, horses, snakes, and birds were frequent sights in Brockville homes as well. These animals, no matter their shape or size, were an integral part of the family. Take a look at these pets and the objects they had around them.
c.1860 The son of Robert Fitzsimmons Jr. is shown posing for a photograph with his dog at A.C. McIntyre’s photo studio in Brockville. (X999.PA09.01.004)
c.1890 Dogs have been registered in Brockville since as early as the late 19th century. We have records dating as early as 1890 which note the Number, Name, Ward, Description of Dog, Gender, Date and Fee collected for each registration. According to these records, Spaniel, Collie, and Terrier dogs were the most popular varieties in Brockville at the turn of the 20th century. (005.A85.001.b)
c.2018 Ketchum Manufacturing Inc. moved its factory to Brockville in 2005. Since then, the printing and die cutting of animal tags has become a Brockville business. This red, metal animal tag was produced in Brockville for retail sale. (018.11.05)
c.1860 The son of Robert Fitzsimmons Jr. is shown posing for a photograph with his dog at A.C. McIntyre’s photo studio in Brockville. (X999.PA09.01.004)