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Eileen Aug 9, 2009

I really need your help on this one!

I won this old "Steiff" dog on eBay, and I can't locate any information on its age or history.

It's clearly a well-used and well-loved riding toy on wheels, a German Shepherd dog. The fur is worn off the back (which has been mended at least once) and off much of the sides. The the tail and one ear are missing.

I unpicked the seams of the remaining mohair and carefully washed it. Not only was it very dirty, the backing was rotted in most places, making the fabric very fragile.

The stuffing, however, was in good shape. As you can see, it's long-fiber wood wool. So while the fur was air-drying, I sewed the stuffing in place to secure the dog's shape.

Inside the stuffing, I found a very strange and primitive-looking "growler," which was activated by pulling a ring on the dog's lower neck. As you can see from my equally primitive drawing, It's made of two pieces of flat wood, hinged at one end, with a wire spring that keeps the assembly open until the ring is pulled. Between the two hinged pieces of wood is the remains of a fabric bag, closed at one end and with a reed (as in wind instrument) at the other. When the ring on the dog's back is pulled, it raises the lower piece of wood and squeezes the bag, forcing air through the reed and making the dog "bark." The whole thing was enclosed in a pressed cardboard (think egg carton) box. It no longer works, since the bag is hard and cracked, and the reed is corroded. In fact, the metal wire was so corroded that the whole thing exploded when I opened the box!

Anyway, once the fur was dry I pinned it back on the stuffing, and was delighted to see that it really resembled a German Shepherd now!

I'd be very grateful to anyone who recognizes this dog, or knows how to find out about him. He closely resembles Steiff's "Arco" dog in design and in the details of the airbrushing, but seems to be earlier.

I'm planning to restore him with new mohair.

edie Aug 9, 2009

Hi Eileen
I checked Steiff's Sortiment book and there is an Arco German Shepherd on wheels on page 97 with the pull ring in the neck (dates 1957 thru 1970 in 2 sizes) - the base looks a little different from yours though, the front wheels don't turn. I have this same type base on a boxer dog with the neck pull cord but it has a smaller ring than yours. On page 89 there is a wheeled dog that is Schnauzer size 50cm that has the same neck ring as yours and the base looks exactly like yours except the tires are white - dates 1970-75. I also found a donkey in one of Dee Hockenberry's books with the base like yours from the 70's. Hope this helps.
What a rewarding project this will be to restore to it's former glory! You've made a good start already!

Eileen Aug 9, 2009

Wow--thanks, Edie!!

I don't have that book (yikes, it's expensive on Amazon!), but I've plowed through every other source I could think of.

My doggie must be related to your boxer and Dee's donkey--I think the turning front wheels make them easier to steer while riding. And this guy has definitely been ridden . I'm sure his tires used to be white.

I'm also sure that after a loving relationship with some very active child, he was left out in the rain, or maybe in a damp place for some time. Otherwise the backing wouldn't be so rotted. It shows mildew spots.

I'm going to take the 'growler' thingy to a local music store and see if they can replace the reed. I've tried taking apart a modern pull growler and shortening the diaphragm to produce a bark, but it sounds like a duck!

Thanks again for doing all that research. I'll keep posting progress reports!