NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — This city of North Little Rock's love for dogs is hard to miss when you walk through the historic Argenta District.
But this term “Dogtown” was originally not a friendly term from those on the north side, especially in the mid-20th century.
“Football games between North Little Rock and Little Rock schools, they would call us dogs" said Sandra Taylor, Director of the North Little Rock History Commission.
She adds there are two theories about how the town got its nickname.
“We were like the blue collar gritty part of central Arkansas and they looked down on the blue collar workers over here. The other theory is we were part of the city of Little Rock from 1890 to 1904 and we broke away," she said. "We seceded from being Little Rock’s 8th ward. They started throwing their dogs in the river and they swam over here because it was the low side of the river, and we took care of them and fed them."
Historically natives of North Little Rock found the term offensive. The city even had a funeral for the nickname.
“In 1965 Mayor Casey Laman buried Dogtown with a casket and tombstone. We have the tombstone inside. "Born of apathy and citizen pride,'" she said.
While one generation killed the term, another has embraced it. Despite beginning as a name of disrespect in the 1870s. Many in North Little Rock now wear it as a badge of honor for those who took in the dogs all those years ago.
“It’s a very humorous and very endearing term now. So I’m happy to say we took the dogs,” she said.