On a bright October Sunday afternoon, the town of Brundidge honored a local legend, Joe Leverette the bulldog that served the town as its assistant police chief during the heydays of the peanut butter mills. Chief Howell Leverette and his assistant were not just local legends. The two of them were known statewide as enforcers of the law. However, it was Joe that received the most notoriety. He gained national attention when he was featured as the bag cover for a dog biscuit company. His heroics around Brundidge were widely known, from taking a bite out of crime to fighting fires with local firemen to heroically saving a child from drowning.

Joe attended FBI school with his chief and was recognized as a graduate.  When Joe died in 1943, one of the FBI agents sent his obituary to The Montgomery Advertiser.  Not knowing Joe was a dog, the Advertiser ran the obit.

These stories and many more where shared Sunday afternoon at the site that will be Joe Leverette’s final resting place. He was originally buried on Oak Street at the Howell Leverette residence but the Brundidge Historical Society joined the Leverette family in desiring a prominent resting place for the local legend.

The Leverette family was in attendance at the Sunday ceremony. Matt Leverette of Troy, Howell Leverette’s grandson, and his sister, Laura Spivey of Montgomery rode the wagon to the burial site. Leverette’s sons, Howell and Kyle Leverette, were the pallbearers for the ceremony. Other family members in attendance were Matt Leverette’s mother, Helen Stewart of Montgomery, his wife Alecia, and daughters Nelsey and Sadie. Among those accompanying the wagon to the burial site were members of the Brundidge Historical Society and the Humane Society of Pike County and townspeople. The historic Johnston Mill will be the final resting place for the local legend, 1932-43.