The Greyhound Lines had used the greyhound symbol since the 1920s, but by the 1950s, the company was competing with the increase of the private car ownership. Grey Advertising, Greyhound's advertising agency, came up with a marketing campaign using an animal mascot. The first dog to take the mantle was a white and gold greyhound born on January 28, 1957 in Kansas. Her TV career began as a puppy in a Greyhound TV commercial for The Steve Allen Show where she was dubbed "Steverino." The Greyhound Bus Company was a sponsor for the show until 1959. The Dog Welfare Guild chose her as Queen of National Dog Week the same year. She also had her own fan clubs, was a symbol of a Philadelphia safety campaign and was insured by Lloyd's for $300.000.
When the Greyhound company stopped its sponsorship of The Steve Allen Show in March 1959, the dog was renamed Lady Greyhound and the name change was announced in two Jack Benny programs. She was outfitted with a diamond-studded tiara and collar. She also gave birth to three puppies on June 18, 1959, and they were given away to children.
In the beginning of the 1960s, Lady Greyhound continued to appear on television, in charity events and public parades. In 1961, she was the symbol for World Animal Day. She was able to appear all over the country because she traveled mainly by plane.
Lady Greyhound had a whole wardrobe with traveling coats and mufflers. She was the dog fashion star of her day. She appeared in hospitals, gave "interviews" in radio and TV, and she also appeared with models in fashion events and department stores. In 1963, Lady Greyhound attended the New York World's Fair where she had her own fashion show and handed out "pawtographs." The Lady Greyhound campaign ended in 1970. Perhaps, she was the forerunner of Pawlaps Parties for Dogs!
Information for this blog article was seen on TV and also on Wikipedia. Written by Nathan S., Paw Laps Intern
