Roxey, the LIRR Dog

Roxey was a dog that was “owned” by the Long Island Railroad and wore an engraved collar.  The plate read: I’m Roxie, the Long Island Railroad Dog. Whose Dog Are You? He spent his days hopping from train to train. He’d travel from Montauk to Jamaica. According to word of mouth, in 1901, a young lady boarding a LIRR train headed towards Roslyn handed her puppy, a Terrier and Pitbull mix named Roxey, to a railroad employee. Then, due to some mysterious mix-up en route, Roxey and his owner were never reunited at their final destination. 

Once it was completed in 1910, Roxey would often disembark at Penn Station where he would be greeted by railroad employees and treated to a hardy meal. One time, Roxey even got to ride with a U.S. President. Theodore Roosevelt often took the LIRR to his home at Sagamore Hill and on one journey found Roxey in his car. Rather than kick the mutt out, Roosevelt let the dog stay with him for the whole ride from Long Island City to Oyster Bay.

In the early years, Roxy would only follow railroad employees. But in his senior years he switched his loyalty to passengers. First there was Mr. Warren of Jamaica, and then there was Roy Budd. Roxy not only followed Roy on and off the trains, but he also rode in automobiles with him, dined at hotels, slept in the same room, and stayed with him for an entire week.

Roxy had his share of accidents over the years, but he always received good care from the best veterinarians. In fact, Roxy had his very own bank account at the Corn Exchange Bank in Long Island City to help pay for any care he needed.

In 1914, Roxey passed away peacefully. His body was brought to the Merrick train station and buried on the property. A headstone donated was placed in 1934.  You can still pay your respects to Roxey at his memorial below the train tracks, it can be found south of the station building near Sunrise Highway. A water bowl built into the memorial is often filled with flowers.

In 2010, Roxey became the star of his own book, Miles of Smiles: The Story of Roxey, the Long Island Rail Road Dog by Heather Worthington and illustrator Bill Farnsworth.

In 2023, a sculpture by artists Donald Lipski was unveiled at the Mineola Train Station. It depicts Roxey being held aloft by the first woman to fly an airplane solo, and Long Island native, Bessie Raiche. 

Sources:

“1904: Roxy, the Long Island Railroad Dog with a Lifetime Pass.” The Hatching Cat of Gotham, 27 May 2018, hatchingcatnyc.com/2018/05/20/roxy-long-island-railroad-dog/. 

Saraniero, Nicole. “A Memorial to Roxey, the Canine Mascot of the Long Island Railroad.” Untapped New York, Untapped New York, 18 May 2026, www.untappedcities.com/a-memorial-to-roxey-the-canine-mascot-of-the-long-island-railroad/. 

Saraniero, Nicole. “Roxey the LIRR Dog Honored with a New Sculpture at Mineola Train Station.” Untapped New York, Untapped New York, 26 Sept. 2023, www.untappedcities.com/lirr-dog-sculpture-mineola-train-station/.