In the other event, Prince, the clown dog, dislocated his neck by running into Jack Rooney. He was attempting to reach his master and seize him by the seat of the trousers. With his neck out of gear the little animal tore around in a circle. Alex Picard caught him, gave his neck a twist, sent it into position again, and Prince, none the worse for his experience, darted into the ring and performed his part to perfection. (Ringling Brothers Route Book Notes, August 23, 1903.)
The event (Alex Picard and the dog) has been fictionalized in recent years. In that version Alex had become a Ringmaster. Click here to see the complete chapter from “The Adventures of Wee Coyle” by Will Lomen, January 13, 2012.What follows is the excerpt that describes the dog incident fictionally.
“Upon arriving at the Circus, they settled into their seats inside the big tent, their excitement growing as a brass band played a rousing tune. Suddenly the music stopped and Alex Picard, wearing a bright and gaudy red topcoat and tails with gold trim and a top hat, strode in, leaped onto a stage, cracked a whip and in dramatic fashion and declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages…” Suddenly, a dog — a small terrier — burst past the boys and leaped at the back of one of the runners. Colliding at full speed with the man’s rear end, the dog immediately dropped to the ground in a quivering heap. The boys watched in shock as the dog lay on the ground twitching and whining. As a crowd gathered, the man, who was the subject of the animal’s attention, crouched down to comfort the shaking pooch. Then abruptly, the dog regained its feet and began running around in circle, causing the watchers to hoot with laughter. The boys laughed along with them as the dog tore around with its neck angled awkwardly inward.
“Alex,” the first man called, “I think Prince has done something to his neck, can you fix him?” One of the other runners, who must have been Alex, a tall trim man with a black mustache, stepped forward, his eyes closely watching the wildly sprinting dog. After a moment, he took a couple of quick steps and grabbed for the dizzy mutt, but it dodged away, directly into the sure hands of Wee Coyle. Wee scooped Prince into his arms, and the dog’s feet continued to churn as if it were still running. “Hold him tight, kid,” Alex said, approaching Wee. As the Terry Street Boys crowded around their leader, Alex ran his practiced fingers over the dog’s neck. “I think it’s dislocated,” he said softly. Then, with a quick and sure movement, he gave the dog’s neck a twist and a jerk, and the dog immediately stopped its contortions. Prince seemed content to stay where he was, but Wee put the dog down, and it stood on its hind feet as if begging for a treat.
“Well, Mike,” Alex said to the first man with a smile, “it looks as if Ringling Brother’s clown dog will be in good shape for the next show.” “Are you a doctor?” asked Wee. Alex laughed, then clapped Wee on the shoulder. “Not hardly son. Although I’m in charge of getting this whole show set up, I do know when a body’s not right and I can usually pop an animal’s bone back into place.” “Or a man’s,” said Mike.