The famous Annie Oakley was so confident of her sharpshooting skills that she included her beloved dog Dave in her acts.
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| Annie Oakley and Dave |
Annie Oakley began shooting and hunting at an early age to help put food on the table for her impoverished family. She used an old muzzle-loading gun that belonged to her deceased father, and was so good at shooting that she was able to help provide a living for her family. According to her, she seemed "to have been born with shooting skill."
Annie's reputation as a shooter spread, and at the age of 15, she entered a shooting competition with a traveling marksman named Frank Butler - Frank hit 24 out of 25 targets, and Annie hit all 25. The two fell for each other, married and began performing together.
Annie and Frank never had children, but they were devoted to their dogs, including their English Setter Dave who was part of their act. Dave would sit obediently with an apple on his head and Annie would shoot the apple without harming the dog. During WWI, when Annie performed, Dave would go into the audience and successfully sniff out cash donations that were hidden in handkerchiefs to help the Red Cross. His talent helped raise more than $1600, and his fame grew so much that, according to one report, he was "scarcely less known than his mistress."
In 1922, at the age of 62, Annie broke her hip and ankle in a car accident. She endured a long period of rehabilitation and had to wear a leg brace for the rest of her life. Sadly, three and a half months after the car accident, Dave was hit by a passing car and died. Annie and Frank were heartbroken. The local newspaper reported that the grieving couple felt the pain of Dave's death as "parents would feel the loss of a child." Frank wrote "Dave was more than some humans. He sat for weeks watching faithfully by the bedside of his mistress and would snuggle close, tapping gently with his little paw, his big eyes burning with love... Dave awaits us both in the Happy Hunting Ground."
Despite doctors doubting Annie would ever shoot again, she continued to set records before passing in 1925 at the age of 66.
