There have been other much loved animals who made it to New York:  Jumbo the Elephant and Balto the Malamute. 

Trouble the Dog Bequeathed $12 Million - 2007 - Trouble became the world's second richest dog when his owner Leona Helmsley died.  In her will she had disinherited two of her four grandchildren who she felt did not visit their father's grave and left her Maltese $12,000,000.  Since it only cost about $1200 a year to feed him, Trouble's expenses included money for his caregiver, security and a vet.  The grandchildren contested the will; the bequest was lowered to $2 million making him still quite wealthy.  He lived well but 4 years later died of old age in 2011.

Togo - 2001 - In 1925 Seppalia and Togo together made a difficult and dangerous journey across central and northern Alaska to bring diphtheria serum to Nome. With other mushers and 100 dogs they braved minus 30 degree temperatures, ice floes,and 5,000 foot mountain peaks before handing off the cargo to another musher and another sled dog named Balto (who has a celebrated statue in Central Park) for the last part of the trip. Many mushers today consider Balto to be the back-up dog, as Seppalia's team led by Togo covered the longest and most hazardous leg of the journey. They made a round trip of 365 miles.

Balto - 1925 - The glowing bronze of this statue on a rock outcropping near the East Drive at 67th Street reflects the loving pats of countless children and adults who recall the story of a heroic dog. In January 1925, the city of Nome, Alaska experienced an outbreak of diphtheria. At that time, Nome had a population of 1,429 people and there was only enough antitoxin serum in distant Anchorage to treat about 300 people exposed to the disease. A train line did run over 325 miles from Anchorage to Nenana, the station closest to Nome, but Nome was icebound seven months out of the year. Alaska's two open-cockpit planes were not safe in the frigid and windy weather. A relay of mushers and their dog-sled teams was the only way to deliver the fur-wrapped twenty-pound package of serum to the ailing community 674 miles from Nenana. The route followed the old Iditarod Trail used by mail drivers from Anchorage to Nome (now the route of the dog-sled championships). The 20 teams of over 200 dogs covered the frozen terrain at about six miles per hour, in blizzard conditions with temperatures of 50 degrees below zero. An international audience listened over their radios and read in their newspapers of the race to Nome. The last musher, Gunnar Kasson, and his team lead by Balto, a black and white Alaskan malamute, raced over the frozen tundra in only five days and seven hours - a world record time. Within days after the arrival of the serum, the epidemic, which had claimed five lives, was over.

Untitled (Figure Balancing on Dog) - 1986 - Part of The Lever House Art Collection. Figure Balancing on Dog. Haring`s lifelong philosophy was that art belongs to the people and in public, not kept away in exclusive galleries, and “Untitled (Figure Balancing on Dog)” is one of the greatest attestations of the legacy he hoped to leave behind.

Museum of the Dog - 1982 - The American Kennel Club's Museum of the Dog has reopened on Park Avenue in 2019. It features a collection of dog-themed artwork, mainly paintings and sculpture.

Mrs. Patrick Campbell lights a cigarette and brings her dog - 1907 - The Plaza Hotel became associated with celebrities and the wealthy upon its opening, surpassing the original Waldorf Astoria in that respect. The Palm Court (then the tea room), with its mostly female guest list, was particularly frequented. Weeks after the hotel's 1907 opening, actress Mrs Patrick Campbell attempted to smoke there, and the resulting controversy boosted the Plaza's stature.The British star known to her fans as “Mrs. Pat” sparked controversy while staying at The Plaza. After ordering dinner she lit up a perfumed Egyptian cigarette and proceeded to smoke it. This occurred in an age when such a thing was unheard-of, and soon the headwaiter appeared and insisted Mrs. Campbell put out the cigarette. She replied, “My good man, I understand this is a free country. I shall do nothing to change it.” The press got wind of the story and a debate started over the ills of smoking. Soon smoking was banned in New York City subways, a law which was said to have come about as a result of this incident.She reportedly received her inseparable canine companion, Pinky Panky Poo in 1890 from Leopold II, the King of the Belgians, who reigned from December 1865 to December 1909.
For her second U.S. tour, Mrs. Patrick Campbell had made arrangements to stay at the brand-new Plaza Hotel. Her schedule included lead roles in several plays, including “The Second Mrs. Tanqueray,” “The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith,” and “Hedda Gabler.” But when the family arrived there that afternoon (with several servants and about 100 trunks in tow), they were shocked to discover that the hotel did not allow dogs.The New York Dramatic Mirror had described the dog as having “bright, black, beady eyes; hair that in a less distinguished dog would be called weedy, and paws like overgrown spiders` legs.” One New York State newspaper even wrote an ode to Pinky, calling him a “high-bred puplet” and “sniffy little beast from kennels of a king.”Fred Sterry realized that rejecting Pinky Panky Poo would cause a public relations nightmare for the Plaza Hotel, so he decided right on the spot to allow small pets in the hotel. Mrs. Pat had to sign an agreement making her responsible for the dog`s good conduct. Poor Pinky was also relegated to either the maids` or baggage elevators. Later, according to The New York Times, the doggie checkroom was located in the main corridor of the hotel. But on that day in 1907, Pandora`s Box was opened, and every woman in Manhattan felt entitled to treat her own pup to an afternoon or longer stay at the Plaza Hotel.

Alley Cats - 2004 - In conjunction with the Cambridge Street Improvements, Cambridge artist Judy Kensley McKie collaborated with landscape architects Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. to transform a fenced-in lawn next to the Valente Branch Library into a community-gathering place. The artist's idea of making the garden as natural as possible, with soft organic forms and an "urban wild" planting scheme, offers a respite from the heavy traffic along Cambridge Street. In line with her well-known functional animal sculptures, McKie created bronze benches for the space. Three friendly "Alley Cats" greet visitors to the garden with an offer to sit down for a while and read a book or chat with a neighbor. The landscape design also offers a space for small community gatherings and library events.

Ape and Cat (At the Dance) - 1993 - Although they do not have human features, Jim Dine's Ape & Cat exude the sort of civility and tenderness to which many urbanites aspire. Made of cast bronze, the figures are at once amusing, allegorical, and unabashedly romantic. The work derives from a series of Dine's 1990s drawings and sculptures that follow the relationship of this unlikely but adoring couple. Their shared placement along the promenade lends a sense of intimacy, joyousness, and unexpected grace to the site.

The Horse Tamers - Two groups, each consisting of two horse figures and one mounted male figure, on two pedestals

Houdini and Jennie the Elephant - 1918 - Houdini and Jennie, the elephant, perform at the Hippodrome in New York City.Others might vanish rabbits, but in 1918, on the brightly-lit stage of the Hippodrome in New York City, Houdini made a 10,000-pound elephant disappear. He created a sensation. When Houdini fired a pistol - Jennie vanished from view.

The 1st Elephant arrived in the US - 1796 - First elephant to set foot in North America was exhibited by Jacob Crowninshield who paid $450 for her in Bengal, India; she was resold for $10,000

Jumbo The Elephant arrives in New York - 1882 - In 1882, Abraham Bartlett, superintendent of the London zoo, sparked a national controversy with his decision to sell Jumbo to the American entertainer, Phineas T. Barnum of the Barnum & Bailey Circus for £2,000 (US$10,000). This decision came as a result of concern surrounding Jumbo's growing aggression and potential to cause a public disaster. The sale of Jumbo, however, sent the citizens of London into a panic, because they viewed the transaction as an enormous loss for the British empire. 100,000 school children wrote to Queen Victoria begging her not to sell the elephant. John Ruskin, a fellow of the Zoological Society, wrote in The Morning Post in February 1882: "I, for one of the said fellows, am not in the habit of selling my old pets or parting with my old servants because I find them subject occasionally, perhaps even "periodically," to fits of ill temper; and I not only "regret" the proceedings of the council, but disclaim them utterly, as disgraceful to the city of London and dishonourable to common humanity." Despite a lawsuit against the Zoological Gardens alleging the sale was in violation of multiple zoo bylaws, and the zoo's attempt to renege on the sale, the court upheld the sale. Matthew Scott elected to go with Jumbo to the USA. The London Daily Telegraph begged Barnum to lay down terms on which he would return Jumbo; however, no such terms existed in the eyes of Barnum.In New York, Barnum exhibited Jumbo at Madison Square Garden, earning enough in three weeks from the enormous crowds to recoup the money he spent to buy the animal. In the 31-week season, the circus earned $1.75M, largely due to its star attraction. 

Electrocuting an Elephant - 1903 - Topsy the elephant was electrocuted by the owners of the Coney Island amusement park "Luna Park" in an event to raise publicity about the opening of the new park (at this point still under construction).

Barnum's American Museum - 1842 - In 1842, PT Barnum opened a combination zoo, museum, and freak show; attractions included Tom Thumb and Siamese Twins Cheng and Eng. At its peak, 15,000 visitors came daily, or 38 million total visitors.The site at Ann Street was then used for a new building for the New York Herald newspaper.

New York Zoo hoax of 1874 - 1874 - The Central Park Zoo escape hoax was an elaborate prank published by the New York Herald, claiming that dangerous animals had escaped from the zoo, killing several people. The story, which detailed the escapes of animals like lions, tigers, and polar bears, caused widespread panic in New York. However, at the very end of the article, the paper revealed that the entire report was fabricated. Despite this, the hoax sparked significant backlash, with many criticizing the newspaper for inciting unnecessary fear.