Celebrating the 100th birthday of Jim the Wonder Dog

The Ozark Heritage Welcome Center, 2999 Porter Wagoner Blvd., is hosting a birthday party 11:00 a.m. Monday, March 10, in honor of a special past resident of West Plains, Jim the Wonder Dog. Mayor Mike Topliff will proclaim March 10-14 as "Jim the Wonder Dog Week” in West Plains. There will be a brief presentation about Jim, and attendees can celebrate with birthday cupcakes.

 

For those who might not be familiar with the incredible story of Jim, he was a Llewellyn setter born March 10, 1925, in Louisiana. Brought to West Plains when he was a few months old by his human companion, Sam VanArsdale, manager of the Arcade Hotel, Jim lived in town for three years before he and Sam moved to Marshall, Mo., where Jim has his own museum.

 

Terry Hampton, with Explore West Plains, the City of West Plains Tourism Department, is organizing the event. “I am a long-time fan of Jim, having first learned about him when I worked for the West Plains Gazette magazine. We did a story about him in 1982. Jim not only displayed extraordinary skill as a hunting dog, at one point being named by Outdoor Life Magazine as ‘The Hunting Dog of the Country,’ but according to anyone who saw him in action, Jim possessed skills and talents which defied reason, logic, and explanation for a canine – or even a human, in some cases – to accomplish. His abilities were put on display for thousands of amazed individuals over the years before his death in 1937.”

 

Jim was the subject of a multitude of eyewitness accounts, has had several books written about his mind-boggling feats, and was declared “Missouri's Wonder Dog,” an official state symbol, by the state legislature on June 23, 2017.

 

“We invite everyone to stop by for the party and learn more about Jim or to share your own information. For example, if your parents or grandparents told you stories about Jim or Sam VanArsdale and the Arcade Motel, we’d love to hear about it. We will also have a small gift for your own ‘wonder dog’ if you tell us about your special pup.”

 

For more information about the party, visit “Explore West Plains” on Facebook. For more information about Jim, read a blog post about him on explorewestplains.com.