The telegram was signed by Roger and Nita, Gunner’s parents. The true author is unknown but one can only assume it was the handiwork of Captain Chris Towler, the man who had donated Gunner to the club.
Towler was the editor of The Sporting Life newspaper and a passionate dog breeder. According to The Story of Your Life, a history of the newspaper, he was the president of the British Bull Mastiff League. Nita, Gunner’s mother, was known to be his favourite.
Gunner stayed with the Arsenal squad as they travelled to Wembley, where Ted Drake scored the winning goal in the 74th minute. A week later, Gunner led the team on to the pitch at Highbury as Arsenal paraded the cup before their supporters.
Sadly, little is known about Gunner’s life beyond those heady few days in the spring of 1936. It is possible that he was simply a one-season wonder. After all, many lesser beings than dogs have been derailed by the consequences of such success. Gunner’s CV, though, cannot be questioned: in his first full season with Arsenal, he led the club to a major trophy.
The hope at the present-day Arsenal, of course, is that Win could yet have a similar impact in her first full campaign. Known for her exceptionally calm disposition, she is one of the great unifiers of the squad, apart from when the players are bickering over who gets to take her home (Ben White and Kai Havertz, both dog-lovers, are among her biggest fans).
Perhaps Win will play her part in a Premier League triumph this month. Perhaps she will not. Whatever the outcome, the wonder of dogs is that she will be there at the club’s training ground either way, wagging her tail and, just like her predecessor all those years ago, wondering what’s for dinner.