cape town, south africa – Just Noisance, who passed away 80 years ago this week, was the world’s first dog to be awarded an official rank in the Royal Navy. Every April, humans and dogs gather in the naval suburb of Simon's Town to celebrate his life with cake, walkie-talkies and pipe bands. Last year, about 80 dogs gathered. This year's festival begins on Saturday, April 6th at 10am.
Simon's Town Museum curator Kathy Salter is thrilled that dogs' legacy of uplifting the human spirit continues to live on. [World War II] And most of the sailors passing through Simon's Town were very young,” she says. “It meant a lot to them that this dog wanted to play with them.”
“Years ago, a man who had been taken prisoner by the Japanese military sent me a 'Just in Trouble' photo,” Salter told Al Jazeera. “He wasn't allowed any personal belongings, but he managed to smuggle the photo and carried it with him the whole time. This shows how important Just Nuisance was to them.”
Who is just a nuisance?
Just Noisance, a pedigree Great Dane born on April 1, 1937, was purchased by a man who worked at the military port in Simon's Town. “The dogs took an immediate liking to the sailors,” Salter said. “But only in the lower ranks. He has no relation to the police,” he said, identifying himself by his uniform. Many sailors tried to adopt him, but according to his biographer Terence Sisson, “The nuisance was his own master.”
At 67 kg, Just Noisance is “giant” among Great Danes and “close to human in concept and intelligence,” wrote Sisson, a former sailor who knew the dog personally. For example, after completing an errand, Just Nuisance would stick out its paw and request a “handshake” from a nearby human.
His name was “coaxed” to be given to HMS Neptune sometime in 1938, Sisson writes. He developed the habit of “laying down and soaking up the sun'' in one of the ship's busiest areas. The “outraged crew” had to somehow avoid this tangle of legs and tails. “And while they all loved the dog, the words directed at him were certainly not appropriate for the ears of women and young children.” Just Nuisance is a sanitized version of these insults.
What happens at the festival?
Registration begins April 6 at 9 a.m. in Long Beach, Simon's Town. All breeds of dogs are welcome.
Proceeds from the entry fee of R50 (approximately $3) per pet will be donated to two local animal welfare charities, Tears and the SPCA. The 1.1km (0.7 mile) walk, led by the Scottish Pipe Band, will begin at 10am, with volunteer event organizer Esther Le Roux explaining: “Biodegradable poo bags and water bowls will be provided. There is,” he added.
The walk ends at the Just Noisance statue in Place Jubilee overlooking the harbour. Birthday cakes are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Le Roux said awards will be awarded in categories that are “created on the fly,” including “Most Similar Dog and Human,” “Best Dressed Dog,” and “Most Similar Annoying Dog.” It is possible that it may be included.
“I’m glad it’s April,” Le Roux says. “It's out of season and the pavement isn't hot enough to burn the dog's paws.” Why should people come? “It’s a very feel-good event and I don’t have any particular plans,” she says. “No one is doing it for themselves.”
Where can I learn more?
For those who can't attend the event in person, there are other ways to learn about the famous dog. The Simon's Town Museum has a very detailed section on nuisances, as well as exhibits on the history of the Simon's Town community, including the forced removal of the town during apartheid.
The Just Noisance statue, created by local sculptor Jean Doyle, has taken pride of place in Jubilee Square overlooking the waterfront since 1985. Doyle has her own Great Dane and attends festivals whenever she can. A few years ago, she remade her Just Nuisance hat after her original hat was stolen. Before she takes a selfie with the famous hound, Salter says, note that the statue is “not big enough to be life-size.”
Finally, the Tomb of Just Nuisance can be visited by car (turn left at the Naval Signal School at the top of Red Hill Road) or on foot. The trail begins at the top of Bernard Street, but be aware that there are over 300 steps that you can only climb. However, the views of False Bay are spectacular.
Why did Noisance join the Royal Navy?
According to Salter, “Royal Navy ships have a long and proud tradition of animals. Dogs, cats, leopards, bears… you name it. But he was the only one given the rank.”
The reason was pretty mundane. Mr. Just Noisance was in the habit of catching the train to Cape Town with his sailor friends, but, in Mr. Sison's words, they “didn't bother buying tickets. A vendetta began between him and the staff.”
At first, sailors tried to hide the “arbitrary Hercules,” as Sison coined it, under their seats, but to no avail. They then began opening the windows of the train so that Mr. Junk could jump onto the moving train after the conductor finished his rounds. In the end, the railroad company even notified the dog's legal owner that if the unwanted dog continued to ride on the train, it would be destroyed.
When sailors heard the news, they protested violently, and the commander of the Royal Navy in the South Atlantic personally issued a proclamation: “The dog Noisance was to be formally enlisted as a member of His Majesty King George VI's Royal Navy.'' Salter told Al Jazeera: “I did not join as an ordinary sailor, but was given the rank of competent sailor.” His occupation was called “bone crusher,'' and his religious sect was called “scrounger.'' ”
Once enlisted, the British Admiralty “paid for a season ticket for the dog to ride to Johannesburg if he wished,” Sisson writes.
What happened to Just Junk?
“Unfortunately, over the years, the sailors got into the habit of giving him beer,” Salter said. “While drinking, he was jumping on and off the moving truck, which ended up damaging his back leg.”
Despite efforts to treat his injuries, Sisson was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Simon's Town, where he wrote that he was “given a bed ticket and chart like any human patient,” but eventually died at the age of 7. He was euthanized on April 1st, his birthday. 1944.
At 11:30 a.m. the next day, Sisson wrote: Noissance's body was draped in a white Royal Navy flag and as it was lowered into the grave, a trumpet sounded the last post and the party fired a volley into the grave. Most of the mourners had tears in their eyes. ”