Neighborhood Stories We Love: Caesar, The Dog About Town

By Lori

When I began looking for a home, I fell in love with a pink house, with a fabulous front porch and a great neighborhood.

I decided that I wanted to know about the people who originally lived here and began doing research. That's when I discovered the book, Front Page. It's a Collection of front pages from the local paper appearing between 1898-1978.

The book is filled with wonderful stories about the people of downtown Mesa. One article in particular caught my attention, a very touching tale about companionship of a rescued dog named Caesar.

The story appeared in the February 9, 1934 issue of the Mesa Journal-Tribune.

As the story goes, in 1924, Mr. and Mrs. Dougherty found a footsore abandoned puppy on a desert road. They brought him home, cared for him and made him part of their family.

Caesar's personality and friendly disposition soon made him the town favorite. He worked with the newsboys selling papers, played with the school children and attend all the town meetings.

There were many humorous stories about the dog. Here is an excerpt from the article.

"One occasion, a fountain was about to be dedicated on a summer evening. Caesar had the long hair of a Newfoundland and even when clipped suffered from the heat. The arrangements for the dedication of this fountain contemplated the unveiling and lighting on the same night. How Caesar found it is a mystery, but when the lights were turned on and the exposition made, Lo! Caesar was enjoying himself in the fountain."

Caesar suffer from asthma, which was aggravated by a bout of pneumonia, that finally caused his death.

Caesar was buried in the back yard of the Dougherty House. His grave was visited often by his town friends.