A tail-wagging tribute kicks off this weekend to celebrate Missouri's most famous canine, Jim the Wonder Dog.
The Llewellin setter became famous during the Great Depression for his alleged ability to predict the future, from the winner of the Kentucky Derby seven years in a row to the New York Yankees victory in the 1936 World Series.
The dog’s feats were so remarkable, they stumped university professors who studied him, leading them to conclude Jim may have been the smartest dog that ever lived.
One hundred years after his birth, Jim’s legend is honored with a bronze statue at Wonder Dog Museum & Garden in Marshall, Missouri, about 90 miles east of Kansas City.
On Saturday, the museum is inviting visitors and their dogs to celebrate Jim’s 100th birthday. Museum manager Larry Arrowood says all pups are welcome.
“We have dog contests like ‘Top Dog Model,’ which is dress-up-your-dog, ‘Jim Look-Alike,’ and ‘Wonder Dog of the Year,’ which is best dog tricks,” Arrowood says.
Jim died in 1937, but his legacy lives on beyond the centennial party. In 2017, the Missouri Legislature named him “Missouri’s Official State Wonder Dog,” making Jim a true state symbol.
The dog was born March 10, 1925, in Louisiana and moved to Marshall, Missouri, with his owner, Sam Van Arsdale, an avid hunter who soon discovered Jim’s talent for finding quail.
"When he started hunting with Jim, he found out what a fabulous dog Jim was,” Arrowood says. “Jim knew where the quail were, so he didn't waste time.”
Outdoor Life magazine soon dubbed Jim as “The Hunting Dog of the Country,” according to the museum’s website.
But Jim was more than just an exceptional hunting dog. He allegedly displayed mysterious, almost inexplicable talents. Van Arsdale and others claimed he could understand commands in multiple languages, predict the outcome of sporting events, and even identify people by name or occupation. Jim’s uncanny feats drew thousands of spectators.
The dog’s mythical status began to take shape at the Kemmerer Hotel in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in 1935. After a successful demonstration of his skills there, a reporter for the Gazette of Kemmerer first called Jim "the Wonder Dog."
The special canine performed for the Missouri Legislature, at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, and has fascinated news and magazine writers for years — including at KCUR. In 2020, Jim the Wonder Dog was the subject of an episode of the podcast “A Peoples’ History of Kansas City.”
"Wonder Dog Day," 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 7 at Jim the Wonder Dog Museum & Garden, 101 N. Lafayette Ave., Marshall, Missouri 65340. The event is free and all dogs on a leash are welcome.
