This KY Pooch Got Mail From a President and Is Buried Under Her Own Shopping Center

Driving through Scottsville, Kentucky, one day, I noticed a sign at the edge of a strip mall parking lot. It featured the image of a dog and the words "Miss Dynamite." I thought nothing of it at the time, and then I came across some fascinating information about "Miss Dynamite" and realized I should have stopped and made some inquiries because that sign is no longer there.

In a state (or Commonwealth) with a town that always has a dog for a mayor (we love our Rabbit Hash), it can't be too surprising to see a tribute like the one you'll see at the Fred Hale Shopping Center on Scottsville's Old Galatin Road.

'Miss Dynamite' - the Dog That Owned a Shopping Center

Miss Dynamite, a chihuahua/terrier mix, was born in 1958. Her owner, Fred Hale, a retired soft drink bottling executive, took her with him on his travels across the country. She made quite an impression, I'm guessing, or she wouldn't have received correspondence from the likes of President Lyndon B. Johnson, legendary bandleader Lawrence Welk, or astronaut John Glenn.

Miss Dynamite and the Christmas Checks

Hale so loved his popular pooch that he signed the documents of ownership over to Miss Dynamite, and, quicker than you can say, "Scooby Dooby Doooooo," she was the proud owner of a strip mall. Of course, Hale handled a lot of the grunt work, like, for example, giving kids small checks at Christmastime that were "signed" by Miss Dynamite. (A paw print was her "Jane Hancock.")

Sadly, Miss Dynamite passed away in 1973, and, again, the sign with her name on it is gone, but I'm going to take comfort in the possibility that her spirit still lingers on or around that stretch of Old Gallatin Road.