The Magic Dog of Todmorden
There has been a flurry of dog-related news recently in the Calder Valley, notably the visit of illusionist Derren Brown to Todmorden. He arrived at Central Vale Park with a camera crew this week to investigate the strange case of the lucky dog statue, which locals say has brought them good luck after patting it.
People claim that they have obtained employment, won raffle prizes and been successful in bonus ball competitions after visiting the canine creation, which is shortly also to feature in a Channel 4 show hosted by Dawn Porter. It is reported that a local landlady was lucky enough to receive the offer of a free gig in her pub by comedian Jason Manford after touching the dog, and in turn, Jason then bumped into Dolly Parton, in a ‘pay-it-forward’ manner of luck transmission.
Now it seems that people are travelling from as far away as Warwickshire to touch the dog. One explanation for the dog’s apparent success may lie with the possibility that people who believe in its powers may feel more positive and go on to succeed in job interviews etc. However, others believe that a totem statue such as the Todmorden dog may have real influence. No doubt public opinion will be divided on the issue.
You can read the rest at The Guardian
How about bad luck? It’s reported that the family that built this house in the UAE abandoned it because of ‘Bad Luck’, 22 years later it still stands empty and feared.. $136m is a lot of house to ‘walk’ away from..
Fancy a trip to the UAE and Dubai this Halloween? 🙂
http://gulfnews.com/life-style/leisure/ghost-chase-haunted-palace-1.648398
Personally, I think the dog is luckiest – being patted by the bearded one!
Really interesting, however since this article has been published would it not play on the subconscious mind of people and therefore not work as well?
Rebecca
I have a lucky head – where ever I go it goes with me, which is really lucky when you think about it.
Luckily I have two feet because otherwise I would have wasted a fortune over the years buying pairs of shoes and socks.
For the people who don’t believe in luck… would you pat just in case?
A few years back there was an Asda store that brought in one of those rock boulder type Asda signs, and loads of the women who worked there got pregnant after touching it.
Personally I think there was probably a hunky manager employed there!
As for the lucky dog….i have to agree with Ryanowengibson! I’m a lucky bitch….I wonder if he’ll come pat my head! lol
Is it not the case that we all have little bits of good luck and bad luck each day, and those who pat the dog are more likely to focus on the good luck, and then attribute it to the dog?
Anette M: Well, I probably would, but not for luck. I like the sensation of stone that’s been worn down by people touching it. Nice and cool and smooth.
But as far as luck goes, nope. I’m trying to wean myself off of magical thinking — I don’t allow myself to buy lottery tickets at stores with ‘someone won [x amount] here!’ signs, either, no matter how much my brain tells me it’s lucky. I do find it interesting how something can feel lucky without any logical explanation, though. So I observe that in myself, and then I don’t do it, because I need to teach myself that lucky or unlucky rituals don’t influence anything.
If enough people pat the dog, some are going to have good fortune. You will not hear about those who don’t.
No doubt public opinion will be divided on the issue.
Switch it for a replica one dark night, and see if anyone reports a problem.
If I walked past it, and knew the story, then yeah I’d give it a pat, can’t hurt to try. I don’t understand people travelling for miles around to pat it though. As sailor says above, you only hear the odd lucky story that you would expect to find in hundreds/thousands of people anyway.
When did the Lucky dog becone ‘lucky’? The ‘legend’ is based on a the rumour of a lotto win-
Very clever Mr D Brown-
regards
Mr D White
So all this was created by Derren Brown then eh? I thought something was odd about this post….
Looking forward to the show….but will be gutted as it is the last in the series. Channel 4 should have Derren on every week
Oh me oh my, I never would have thought to link this blog post and Jason Manford’s free gig I heard about via Twitter.
Fantastic show, frankly heartwarming. (:
We’ve sometimes stroked the dog when passing, not for luck, just coz it’s a nice statue of a dog.
I’d like to know how that dice was rigged – I have theories, but…
Good one!
I’ve been trying to find out the real history of the dog. When and by whom and why was that statue of the dog made? Was it a beloved pet memorialised or just a canine representation? How did Derren choose that particular statue? Was it just luck?