From the outside, the Kennel Club Museum of the Dog may seem like a dainty manor off the corner of Queenie Park, but once inside, any previous predictions of what could be are thrown out the window.

Dogs. Dogs everywhere.

Paintings of pit bulls on the walls and porcelains of Pomeranians in their cases. Dog treats for the real, living dogs walking around. A brass of a beagle waits obediently on its pedestal as a living one passes close by. Every room has dozens upon dozens of wide, handcrafted eyes peeking every which way, restless and excited to meet the next furry friend.

“Our mission is to highlight the human-canine relationship,” Stephen George, director of the museum, said. “When you look at the artwork, you will begin to grasp that.”

The museum has over 400 individual pieces on display at a time, and they cycle through their storage every month. The artwork displayed in the museum is received from various artists from near and far. Pieces are organized into rooms based on their media and what dogs are depicted. There is a room dedicated only to porcelains of various sizes and breeds, as well as two rooms in the basement that stand as a memorial for dogs that served in the military and on the police force.

“As an artist, I enjoyed appreciating all the art, especially the sculptures,” junior Emily Butler said. “It was really cool seeing art of whippets, since I also have one.”

Many events are hosted at the museum, including art classes for all ages led by freelance artists themselves. In previous summers, the museum even hosted Guest Dog of the Week. At these events, owners of a specific dog breed brought their dogs and shared information about the dog’s breed so that guests could have a better understanding of what breed best fit their own lifestyle.

This will be the last year St. Louis will get to enjoy its guest dogs of the week and its Doberman dog houses. As of October 2018, the Kennel Club Museum of the Dog will move to Park Avenue, New York. The Big Apple was the first home of the museum back when it was still small. Now that the museum is bigger and has a solid footing, it will return to its hometown, where there will be a bigger population of possible patrons to visit.

“It’s a bit sad that we’re losing a really niche museum in the St. Louis area,” George said. “But the museum had its start in New York. That’s why we’re going back — to get back to our roots.”