The Tail Waggers club was set up by Captain Horace Hobbs in 1928 in England. Captain Hobbs believed strongly in dog ownership responsibility and set up this cludb to encourage it. Dogs that became members received a collar medallion engraved with the Club’s motto “I help my pals” in the quarters of two wagging tails.
On the other side was inscribed a membership number, the owners name and address – in this case 622539, Watson, The Manor House, Burwell, Louth. The medallion was found in Burwell. From a search online, I found that a Henry Hickman Watson owned the manor house in Burwell between 1912 and 1951.
The reverse was also inscribed with a telephone number, in this case ROYAL 3083, which could be contacted to find the dog’s owner.
From the start, the Club flourished and in just over a year more than 200,000 dogs had enrolled, enabling £20,000 to be donated to help the work of the Royal Veterinary College. The club’s concept spread to other countries including New Zealand and Australia and there was significant support in America. Indeed, the death of Captain Hobbs was reported in the New York Times on 19 December, 1935: “Founder of the Tail Waggers Club Dies in London at 39”. At its peak In England, membership exceeded a million.