The Bravest Pets of Gotham - by Peggy Gavan (Hardcover)

About the Book

The Bravest Pets of Gotham takes readers on a fun historical tour of Old New York, sharing more than 100 touching, thrilling and amusing stories about the bond between FDNY firefighters and their four-legged friends. You'll meet countless brave and intelligent firehouse pets, from horses, dogs, and cats to monkeys and goats.

Book Synopsis

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the New York Fire Department permitted firemen to keep one dog, one cat, or singing birds in their firehouse. Since the firemen were required to live and work at the firehouse full-time, these animal mascots--along with the horses that pulled the fire trucks--were their constant companions, making a dangerous workplace feel more like home.

The Bravest Pets of Gotham takes readers on a fun historical tour of Old New York, sharing touching and comical stories about the bond between FDNY firefighters and their four-legged or feathered friends. The book contains more than one hundred astonishing, emotional, and sometimes hilariously absurd tales of the FDNY animal mascots whose extraordinary intelligence, acts of bravery, and funny antics deserve to be remembered. Some anecdotes depict fire companies that broke the one-pet rule and welcomed a veritable menagerie of animals into their firehouses, including goats, turtles, and even monkeys. Whether you are an animal lover, a history buff, or a fan of firefighting, The Bravest Pets of Gotham is full of stories that will thrill and amuse you.

Review Quotes

"While the celebration of brotherhood and the connection between man and machine of the fire service has been widely covered for generations, Peggy Gavan's The Bravest Pets of Gotham is a body of work that stands alone. Remarkably researched, her stories provide both inspiring and informative confirmation of the bond between the men and animals who so valiantly served the FDNY. Without question, Gavan's book is a must-have for the library of any fire buff, historian, or animal lover."--Brent DeNure "publisher, Vintage Fire Trucks"

About the Author

PEGGY GAVAN is an editor and volunteer firefighter in Warwick, New York. She is the author of the award-winning The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York (Rutgers University Press) and the blog Hatching Cat NYC: True and Unusual Animal Tales of Old New York.