Silver dog collar made by Alexander Dick

View this record on the National Museum of Australia's website

Type: Dog collars
Date: 1834
Place: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Materials: Brass, Leather, Metal - non specific, Sterling silver
Collection: Trevor Kennedy collection
Accession number: 2020.0002.0161

Description

A sterling silver dog collar with a brass padlock and lined with dried brown leather. The collar is engraved with 'Mr. Michl. [sic] Farrell / "Welsh Harp" / George Street. / Presented to his Dog "Tiger" / for killing 20 Rats / in 2 Minutes & 2 Seconds. / Sydney, 1834'. The words are accompanied by the image of a dog attacking three rats. The collar is stamped three times on the outside and once on the inside with 'A.D.', an animal, a shield, 'E' and the side view of a person's head. The padlock is decorated with engraved lines.

This hallmarked sterling silver dog collar was made for former Irish convict Mr Michael Farrell, licenced victualler of the Welsh Harp in George Street Sydney. The skillful Scottish immigrant jeweller Alexander Dick had a business in the same street at the time. The dog collar was for Mr Farrell's dog Tiger for his impressive rat-hunting ability.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 5:44:42 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2025-11-18. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.