When a terribly abused and brutally mutilated dog from Meaford captured the heart and imagination of a young writer from Nova Scotia, nobody could have predicted the hold that his story would have on the world. Margaret Marshall Saunders, who wrote under the alias Marshall Saunders, submitted the story of Beautiful Joe to a writing competition. At the time, the western world was enamoured by works like Black Beauty, and the reading community craved more animal adventure stories, particularly those aimed at educating children on the importance of animal welfare. The story of Beautiful Joe, the disfigured dog who went on to live a full and happy live after being rescued from his torment by a kind family, hit all of the right notes and quickly became at international bestseller. In fact, Beautiful Joe was the first book in Canadian literary history to surpass one million sales, and to this day it is regarded at the best selling children’s book in the history of the country.

To commemorate the significance of the story and its success, Beautiful Joe Park was founded, featuring plaques and statues dedicated to Saunders and Joe, and the park also serves as Joe’s final resting place. The Beautiful Joe Heritage Society, a volunteer group committed to keeping the local lore alive, hosts tours of the park on Sunday afternoons through the summer months for anyone interested in learning more about the story. For more information, visit https://beautifuljoe.org/