Howling Dog Phone Ringer

October 1932: A Seattle woman complained that her phone never rang, but she could tell when someone was trying to call her because her dog would start howling in the yard. The telephone repair guy investigated. Realized the dog wasn't psychic. Instead, there was a short in the line and the dog was chained to the ground wire.

Indianapolis Star - Oct 23, 1932

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 09, 2016
Category: Technology | Telephones | 1930s

Comments

We've got an organic door bell, food taster, & tree watering system.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 03/09/16 at 09:55 AM

So rather than fixing the short, he fixed the dog. Typical phone company!

Posted by Phideaux on 03/09/16 at 01:32 PM

I currently have that ring tone on my cell phone.

Posted by GFinKS on 03/10/16 at 09:51 AM

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