c.1950–51
London was probably born around this period, based on several contemporary reports of his age. Those surviving ages do not all agree, so this is an estimate rather than a registration date.
1951
A later newspaper recollection places Chuck and London together at a Florida baseball camp. It suggests their partnership may already have begun, but does not establish exactly when or where Chuck first acquired him.
26 June 1955
London carried pitcher Fred Kipp’s jacket onto the field during a game at Kearney, Nebraska. The argument that followed stopped play for forty-eight minutes and ended in a forfeit.
25 July 1955
LIFE published “London Embroiled,” carrying the Kearney story to a national audience.
16 August 1956
London performed before another baseball crowd in Bismarck, North Dakota, fetching objects and running the bases.
1957
A later contemporary report says London was injured in a vehicle collision in West Los Angeles. The collision later became the subject of a damages action.
1958
London received the formal canine credit in the feature film The Littlest Hobo, becoming the first dog to bring Hobo to the screen.
1960
London received a second formal credit as Buddy in My Dog, Buddy.
1961
Contemporary reporting covered the damages action arising from the 1957 collision and described London being demonstrated in court. One report called him a ten-year-old German Shepherd, supporting approximately 1950–51 as one plausible birth period.
By the mid-1960s
Younger dogs were taking more of the work. Contemporary reporting described the original London as retired and as the father of a younger family including Thorn, Toro, Little London and London Jr.
Around 1966–67
By September 1966, the original London had retired and was reported to be seventeen years old. A later newspaper said he had died at that same age, although we have not yet found the exact date. If the reports are accurate, London lived to a remarkable age for a German Shepherd, after a long and full life beside Chuck that had taken him from ballparks and public appearances to film sets and national fame.
For Chuck, though, London had been much more than the dog who first played Hobo. He was the companion who changed the course of his life.