DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona Beach is a popular destination in Central Florida, with plenty of things to go see and do.
However, if you drive toward the beaches along Orange Avenue, there’s a decent chance you’ll spot a strange dog statue on the side of the road.
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While it’s been nearly 70 years since he last prowled the city’s streets, this is actually the grave site of “Brownie the Town Dog” — the former mascot of Daytona Beach.
The dog first showed up as a stray around 1940, wandering the downtown area for a few days before deciding to settle at the corner of Orange Avenue and Beach Street.
At the time, the Daytona Cab Company was situated on Orange Avenue, and the owner — Ed Budgen — offered the dog some of his lunch one day, eventually naming him “Brownie” on account of his brown fur and friendly personality.
According to the Halifax Historical Museum, local cab drivers and a nearby restaurant owner fed him scraps. Brownie would walk along Beach Street during the day, returning to the cap company’s awning at night to sleep.
Brownie often greeted downtown shoppers and played with their children, and he sat with many visitors waiting for a cab or bus until their ride showed up.
“Brownie is a great big brown mongrel who loves to be patted, and he must get more patting than any dog in the world. No one passes the corner without stopping to pass the time of day with him and give him a pat...
Brownie is a dog with great dignity. He doesn’t run or frolic around his corner, or jump on you when you pass. Earl in the morning, he selects a shady place which he thinks will be the coolest for the day and hold court there.
One of his favorite spots is just outside the bank door, and it is very encouraging to have Brownie wag approval at you before you go in the bank and start talking big-mouth to a vice-president about that little old bit of money you could use right handily at the moment.
Yeah, Brownie is quite a dog.”
Excerpt by Henry McLemore from a 1944 article in the Daytona Beach News Journal
Eventually, Budgen and his cab drivers built a doghouse for Brownie, and a coin collection box was put on the house so that tourists and locals could donate toward Brownie’s food and medical care.
“He had a bank account (at Florida Bank and Trust), which is now the Halifax museum...” local historian Eddie James told News 6. “That’s where they put all the money that was donated.”
Thanks to his newfound popularity, Brownie became something of a local celebrity.
Museum officials said he would join police officers on their patrols of the downtown area, and visitors would stop by to get their pictures with him. He received Christmas cards and presents from all over the country each year.
“The townspeople bought Brownie a license every year. His tag always had #1 on it, signifying that he was the goodwill ambassador for the town,” a brochure from the museum reads.
Old newspaper articles show that Brownie was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 1944, though he received help from the community and eventually recovered with only a slight limp.
In 1952, the aging pup received extensive treatments for heartworms, which drained much of his bank account. However, an author for the Daytona Beach News Journal issued a piece asking for residents to chip in for the treatment.
“I believe that this call for funds raised Brownie’s bank balance by hundreds of dollars (which would be thousands today),” James said.
After over a decade of community support, Brownie ultimately died of old age in October 1954.
Tourists sent letters following news of his death, and the money in his bank account was used to purchase a casket and headstone for Brownie’s grave.
City officials provided him with a final resting place in Riverfront Park on Beach Street, near where he had settled down over 10 years prior. His funeral was attended by 75 friends and four pallbearers.
“Brownie was indeed a good dog,” then-Mayor Jack Tamm said during a eulogy at the funeral.
In 2018, a bronze statue of Brownie was erected at the park thanks to the efforts of city leaders, James and other volunteers.
While the park has since been redeveloped into the Riverfront Esplanade, Brownie’s statue still sits near the intersection.
While James no longer lives in Florida, he explained that he and his husband had owned a dog boutique along Beach Street, which led him to learn about Brownie.
“I found out that Brownie the Town Dog was literally feet from the store, and I said, ‘Oh, well, we should name the shop Brownie’s Dog Boutique,’ and so that’s what we ended up doing,” James said.
James and a few other locals maintained the grave site by pulling weeds and removing trash before the park was renovated. James himself set up an online “Brownie Museum” that collects historical records about Brownie for posterity.
While not as popular, another dog eventually carried on Brownie’s tradition — and his name.
A second “Brownie” lived in Daytona Beach from 1955 - 1970, working at the local post office. Nowadays, his grave site can be found right next to that building.
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