Collecting for the Red Cross, 1916.
© Wien Museum

A woman in Red Cross uniform during the First World War, training a tiny Italian greyhound beingpulling a model Red Cross ambulance probably designed for fundraising.

Inevitably, the Great War saw more dogs than ever collecting for charity and doing their bit for King and Country. In busy areas, particularly at rail stations, they were a familiar sight often with harnesses carrying collection boxes on their backs. Toby, who has obligingly dressed in medical-themed drag, all in aid of the Woolwich and District War Memorial Hospital fund. 'Southville Beau', is a proud looking little Yorkshire Terrier, who had collected three thousand pennies for the Wool Fund.

Bob was a crossbred retriever.

Grace was a collie, collector at the Dalston L.M.S Railway Station,

Dog with election sign on his back and a bucket to collect money for the elections.
The sign on the dogs back says ' Vote Labor and take us off the the track'.
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia,1935.

Collecting dog at Stonehouse Station.

Collecting dog at Stonehouse Station.

A dog with a charity collecting tin on its back receives a hug from a passer-by at Victoria Station.

A long-haired black dog collects for the Red Cross to help local wounded, London.
Date: 1914-1918 war.

Passengers at Euston Station petting the collecting dog. Jack was a retriever.

A young passenger at Waterloo Station pops money into Laddie’s collection tin.

Photo:
Old Southeronians Association.

National Railway Museum.

York, National Railway Museum, 26 juni 2008. Laddie, een airdale terrier, met op zijn rug een collectebus. Dit is een van de honden die vanaf 1880 op grote stations werden ingezet voor het collecteren voor goede doelen, zoals fondsen voor wezen van spoorwegpersoneel. De honden werden verzorgd door het stationspersoneel. Op de perrons vertoonden ze kunstjes, om het publiek ertoe te bewegen hun kleingeld af te staan. Laddie, geboren in september 1948, werkte op station Wimbledon (Londen).

Great Western Railway.

Collecting box dogs were a popularfeature of Railway Stations in Victorian and Edwardian times and many of these animals, after a long and successful career,found themselves saved for prosperity by the medium of taxidermy to end up in a glass case in the very same stationb, still collecting coins for charities.

Painting by George Buckly of railway collecting dog, 'Carlo'.