Collie to the Rescue

Albert Payson Terhune (1872-1942) was an American author, dog breeder, and journalist. He was popular for his novels relating the adventures of his beloved collies and as a breeder of collies at his Sunnybank Kennels, the lines of which still exist in today’s Rough Collies. Born on December 21, 1872 in Newark, New Jersey to Mary Virginia Hawes and the Reverend Edward Payson Terhune, Terhune received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1893 from Columbia University. From 1894-1916, he worked as a reporter for The Evening World. Albert Payson Terhune first published short stories about his collie Lad, titled Lad Stories, in various general-interest magazines, including Red Book, Saturday Evening Post, Ladies’ Home Journal, Hartford Courant, and the Atlantic Monthly. A dozen stories of Lad were collected in novel form his first novel in 1919, Lad: A Dog, which became a great success and was adapted into a feature film in 1962. Thirty additional dog-focused novels followed, including two additional books about Lad. An active member of the Adventurers’ Club of New York, he made his family’s summer home, Sunnybank, located in Wayne, New Jersey, his permanent residence in 1912. His Sunnybank Kennels, where he bred and raised rough collies, became famed collie kennels in the U.S. The estate is maintained as Terhune Memorial Park - Sunnybank and is open to the public. Visitors can visit the graves of many of the dogs mentioned in Terhune’s works and view a collection of Terhune’s book and dog awards at the Van Riper-Hopper Historic House Museum. Albert Payson Terhune Elementary School, one of nine elementary schools in Wayne, New Jersey, is named in honor of the author. Their mascot is the collie dog. Terhune died on February 18, 1942 and was buried at the Pompton Reformed Church in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.