Jim The Wonder Dog Museum And Garden

This museum and community garden in Marshall, Missouri is dedicated to the memory and growing legacy of Marshall Missouri's most famous resident, Jim the Wonder Dog. Born as the runt of a litter in 1925, the Llewellin Setter was gifted to Sam VanArsdale with little expectation. Not only did Jim prove to be an extraordinary quail hunter, but many to this day believe he possessed extraordinary abilities. After years of performing feats that were impossible to explain, the setter was given the name “Jim the Wonder Dog” in 1935. Jim passed away at age twelve and is the only non-human buried at the Ridge Park Cemetery. In the late 1990s, residents of Marshall supported efforts to build a museum to share Jim's story and promote tourism. The community chose to restore this building because it was a place where Jim entertained visitors who stayed at VanArsdale's aptly-named Ruff Hotel. A community garden extends to a neighboring parcel of land, including a gazebo, waterfall, and a bronze statue of Jim the Wonder Dog. Every year a canine-centered celebration is held in Marshall in Jim's honor that attracts dog lovers from throughout the region.

Jim was a purebred Llewellin Setter born in Louisiana on March 10, 1925. Although he was the smallest of his litter, Jim proved to also be the smartest. Local hotel owner and avid hunter Sam VanArsdale was gifted the little puppy as something of a joke. VanArsdale described him as being a very observant dog but had no interest in being trained to hunt. However, Sam would later come to believe that Jim had something of a sixth sense. Throughout all their expeditions Sam kept track of how many quail they had successfully hunted until the tally reached 5000. At that point, Jim's owner stopped recording their hunts but news of Jim's skill led to an article in the magazine "Outdoor Life Magazine." Jim was dubbed "The Hunting Dog of The Country," a title that would soon be surpassed by even more superlatives.

As Sam VanArsdale later recalled, after an exceptionally hot day of hunting, Sam turned to his dog and said, "Let's go over and rest a bit under that Hickory tree." To his surprise, Jim went over to the Hickory. VanArsdale went on to test his dog by describing other objects without motion or gestures, Jim accurately followed commands as if he could understand every word Sam was saying. As this pattern continued in the next few years, Sam would occasionally entertain friends by showing them Jim's special ability. The dog regularly was able to decipher colors; locate vehicles by their make and license plate number or state; proved able to take commands in different languages, shorthand, and Morse Code. The dog also correctly chose the winner of the World Series of baseball and seven Kentucky Derbies, and there are also stories where he predicted the gender of unborn babies.

Initial skeptics soon became believers and as Jim's fame grew, there were many tests by third parties who each drew different conclusions but all agreed that there was something special about this particular dog. One study stated the dog had an abnormally large brain. Another, done at the University of Missouri by head veterinarian Dr. Durant, stated that he could not find anything physically abnormal with Jim; only that he passed a command test with flying colors and witnessed no outside signals from Sam.

In 1935, Jim performed at the Kemmerer Hotel in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The performance led to an article in the Gazette Of Kemmerer on Friday, August 30, where Jim was first dubbed "The Wonder Dog." Following this, Jim's fame spread throughout the country and he was eventually featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!. VanArsdale was offered many jobs promoting Jim's abilities, even including a movie contract in Hollywood and dog food commercials. But Sam declined them all, continuing to have Jim perform his tricks at the city square, outside the Ruff Hotel that he and his wife owned.

The possibility that a dog could understand humans or possess psychic abilities entertained many and brought joy in an era of economic depression. Jim The Wonder Dog passed away on March 18, 1937 at age 12. At that time, the beloved dog was not allowed to be buried at the Ridge Park Cemetery, so Sam found a plot of ground right outside the cemetery. Over time the cemetery expanded to include Jim's final resting place, and to this day, Jim is the only non-human buried inside the cemetery. The story of Jim faded over time but was revived in recent years in ways that inspired the creation of special events and celebrations enjoyed by local dog owners. Jim was declared Missouri’s Official Wonder Dog by the Missouri Legislature in 2017, making the Show Me State the only in the nation to offer such a designation.

In 1999, the community purchased the building that had once been home to the Ruff Hotel and the adjacent plot of land for a museum and gardens dedicated to Jim. The project had the benefit of restoring and repurposing a building that had fallen into disrepair in hopes of spurring tourism. Today, the museum to a dog includes items from Jim's and his owners' lives and inspires dog lovers in Missouri and beyond. Along with a bronze statue of Jim, the memorial garden features a gazebo, a pond with fish, a waterfall, beautiful flowers and shrubs, as well as a water garden maintained by the Saline County Water Garden Club. An annual event called “Wonder Dog Days” takes place here at the Marshall town square, where hot dogs are served, a Jim look-alike contest is held, and memories are shared. Jim’s legacy lives on through the people of Marshall, Missouri.

Jim's resting place is located inside Ridge Park Cemetery at 804 E Yerby in Marshall, MO at the GPS coordinates 39.113188 -93.176379.

The Life Of A Wonder Dog, Accessed October 1st 2021. https://www.jimthewonderdog.org/about.

Gross, Sylvia Maria. How An Extraordinary Dog In Depression-Era Missouri Made People Believe In Magic, KCUR 89.3. March 21st 2020. Accessed October 1st 2021. https://www.kcur.org/community/2020-03-21/how-an-extraordinary-dog-in-depression-era-missouri-made-people-believe-in-magic.

Roadside America. Accessed October 1st 2021. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/3603.

YouTube, YouTube, 27 Dec. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxJUc0flvBI. Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.

Spieszny, Agnieszka. Remembering the Greatest Hunting "Wonder Dog" that Ever Lived, 75 Years After His Death, Outdoor Hub. March 19th 2012. Accessed April 11th 2022. https://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2012/03/19/remembering-the-greatest-hunting-wonder-dog-that-ever-lived-75-years-after-his-death/.

Jim the Wonder Dog, Marshall Tourism Commission. Accessed April 11th 2022. https://www.visitmarshallmo.com/jim-the-wonder-dog.

Hogan, Suzanne. Jim The Wonder Dog, KCUR Podcast: A People's History of Kansas City. March 19th 2020. Accessed April 11th 2022. https://www.kcur.org/podcast/a-peoples-history-of-kansas-city/2020-03-19/jim-the-wonder-dog.