Watchdogs of the Treasury
More than a score of persons are credited
by various biographical works with having
been entitled to the designation "Watchdog of
the Treasury." There are pages and pages of
arguments weighing the conflicting claims.
But Nero perhaps has a better claim than any
of them.
Nero was a real, live, canine watchdog.
,
first of the first United
States Mint at , was Nero's
sponsor. The Mint paid $3 for Nero. The
expenditure is recorded in a handwritten
"Account of Contingent Expenses Incurred in
the Mint" for the month of January 1793. The
$3 item "for a Dog for the Yard" is
sandwiched in between notations of the
payment of $1 to "Thomas Dobson for an
Inkstand & folder" and $2.40 to "Jacob
Kinnard for Sundries as per Bill."
 There are records of further
expenditures over the course of a quarter of
a century for food and license tags for Nero
and his successor watchdogs. A night watchman
was required to visit all sectors of the Mint
premises every hour, and Nero went along with
him. Nero supposedly took over full
responsibility if the watchman was absent.
Rules of the Mint forbade the feeding of Nero
by any employee except the night watchman,
because the Mint did not want Nero to get
friendly with anyone else.
The same early records which tell of the
purchase of Nero, and of food and license
tags for him, also tell of "rum allowances"
and "drink money" paid to Mint employees.
They ranged from $1 to $3 per month.
Non-drinkers appear to have received payments
in lieu of drink money. Notice was served in
rules and regulations of the Mint published
in 1825 that drink money allowances had been
discontinued.
An ancient Treasury seal, the origin of
which is a matter of speculation, presents
still another claimant to the "Watchdog of
the Treasury" title. Within a wreath around
the seal's edges is a symbolic strongbox, and
lying beside the strongbox is a capable
looking watchdog with his left front paw
securely clasping a large key. The seal bears
the lettering "U.S. Treasury."
Just how extensively the seal was used is
difficult to determine, but it disappeared
long since from Treasury documents. The
original plate of the seal is on deposit at
the Government Printing Office.
- Treasury Watchdogs; Treasury
Department Information Service; August 29,
1948
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