Two cast iron retriever dogs used as horse ties when the house was built in 1848.
The dogs were designed by architect William Thomas to hitch horses to and were located in front of his Oakham House residence. Thomas lived in the house until his death in 1860. The house was sold to John McGee and then in 1899 the house, along with the dogs, was sold to the Society for Working Boys - a home for disadvantaged youth in Toronto. When Ryerson University acquired the building in 1959, the dogs, originally located at the building’s Church Street entrance, were no longer there. They had been removed to the new location of the boys' home. Ryerson retrieved the dogs in 1982 and the Toronto Historical Board wanted the pair to be mounted in their historical place in the front of the house. In the interest of protecting them from vandalism they were placed inside the house, by then the Student Centre, and in 2010 adopted by the Archives.

Also included are correspondence and related material to the "Name the Dogs" contest held by the Archives to celebrate the Dog's move to the Archive holdings.