I read recently that Cray Wanderers welcome dogs and puppies with their owners to Flamingo Park. I found the report interesting and not only because I didn't know that dogs enjoy a game of football. I guess it must be their fixation with watching a ball being chased around a field by a bunch of grown men or women, something most dogs are usually akin to in their younger or formative years, when they have those sudden bursts of energy to run after a tennis or Sorbo ball after their owners have lobbed it several yards away.
And, as usual when I read wacky out-of-the-ordinary stories, it got me thinking. I know of at least two dogs that made history in the world of football, for differing reasons, but have there been any more...?
My first recollection is when somebody tea-leafed the Jules Rimet Trophy when it was on show during the World Cup tournament in England in 1966. From what I remember of the incident and how it was reported at the time, the bluebottles were totally clueless. And then, like all true dead donkey storylines, the impossible happened. A man out walking his dog, strangely named Pickles, must have had the fright of his life when the dog called over to him, "Woof! woof! Come 'ere and see what I've dug up!" And lo, under a bush, was the shiny World Cup, wrapped in some old newspaper. Pickles became instantly famous, but to those of you reading this and remember the incident, award yourself ten bonus points if you can name Pickles' owner. For those of you who couldn't care less, the owner's name was David Corbett.
Pickles
Fast forward to November 1970. Brentford (now in the EPL) were playing away at Colchester United in a Fourth Dvision (now Division Two) match. Brentford were not having the best of games and eventually lost this encounter 4-0. But it's what happened in one incident during the game that has forever been the talking point. Chic Brodie, a reported 33-year-old, was playing in goal for the Bees that afternoon when, from out of nowhere, a dog got onto the pitch and chased after the football just as Brodie was about to collect it in his hands. In a crunching collision, the dog had ploughed into Brodie, causing knee ligament damage that ended his professional playing career. Brodie eventually ended up playing part-time for then Southern League Margate and I remember going to their opening game of the season against Telford United in August 1971, when my family and I were on holiday in Broadstairs. Margate won 3-1, Brodie played well and no dogs were involved.
To round this article off, it was reported in 2019 that Torquay United footballer Jim McNichol was bitten by a police dog during a match against Crewe Alexandra. With the match entering injury time at the end of a game which Torquay lost 2-0, McNichol chased after the ball down the touchline. The ever-zealous dog thought the player was chasing after a copper, who had been attending a bit of a fracas behind one of the goals, so it lunged out and bit McNichol on the leg. The report doesn't say whether or not the referee gave a free-kick for a foul.
Did You Know?
The Sorbo Ball — Unburstable (But Not Immortal)
In the 1950s and 60s, Sorbo Rubber-Sponge Products of Woking sold their famous “unburstable” playing balls. Kids loved them because they were light, safe, and bounced just enough for games indoors and out. But there was a catch: as the years passed, the sponge-rubber compound was prone to drying out. Instead of a trusty old plaything, many children eventually found their Sorbo ball reduced to a crumbly husk of rubber dust. They might have been “unburstable” in the playground — but in the cupboard, time always won.
