6023d – 2025 First-Class Forever Stamp – 250th Anniversary of Delivering Mail: Dogs Barking at Each Other

US #6023d
2025 Barking Dogs at Each Other

• Part of pane of 20
• Honors 250th anniversary of Post Office
• Highlights routine of postal carrier

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set: 250 Years of Delivering
Value:  Forever First-class mail (78¢)
First Day of Issue:  July 23, 2025
First Day City:  Washington, DC
Quantity Issued:  1,250,000
Printed by:  Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Pane of 20
Perforations:  Die cut

Why the pane was issued: This stamp is from a pane of 20 issued in honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the postal service in the US.

About the stamp design: The pane was illustrated by cartoonist Chris Ware.  The stamps connect to form a scene highlighting the presence of the Postal Service throughout the years and the important role it has played in American life over a century and a half.  The artwork follows a mail carrier as she walks her daily route through a busy town over the course of the year. 

Special design details: Symbols of the postal service are scattered throughout the stamp images.  These include mail trucks, collection boxes, and a post rider on horseback.

First Day City: The First Day of Issue for these stamps took place at the US Postal Service headquarters in Washington, DC.  The Putting a Stamp on the American Experience prestige booklet was dedicated at the same ceremony.

About the 250 Years of Delivery pane: In 2025, the US Postal Service celebrated a significant milestone: 250 years of connecting the nation.  Founded in 1775, when Benjamin Franklin was named the first Postmaster General, the US post office was a fledgling network of post roads.  Today, the USPS is one of the most enduring and trusted institutions in American history.
To honor this milestone, this pane of 20 stamps was released, each depicting moments in the life of a modern mail carrier over a year’s time.  These stamps tell the story of a community, following the carrier as she braves all seasons delivering letters and packages, while making connections with members of the community.  The stamps celebrate the mail carriers who embody the iconic creed, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” 
The 250th anniversary is a moment to reflect on the remarkable innovations in mail delivery over the years.  From the daring days of the Pony Express to the efficiency of railroads, the introduction of airmail in 1918, and the invention of Forever Stamps, the Postal Service has embraced new ideas to better serve the nation.  Today, it continues to evolve, using digital tools to streamline logistics and support an increasingly connected world.
More than just delivering mail, the USPS has delivered hope, unity, and progress.  Its mission remains timeless: bringing people closer together.

Postal History –Owney the Postal Dog:
Clerks at the Albany, NY Post Office were so busy one autumn evening in 1888 they didn’t’ notice a stray puppy curled up on a pile of old mailbags.  The postal workers later adopted the mixed-breed dog and named him Owney.
Owney had a fondness for mailbags and rode with them as they were transferred from the Albany Post Office to the railroad depot.  He eventually started traveling with the mail to New York City.  After a while, he would be gone for months at a time.
To ensure their friend made his way home, the Albany clerks gave him a collar inscribed, “Owney, Post Office, Albany, New York.”  They attacked a note to his collar asking employees of the Railway Mail Service to fasten leather or metal baggage tags to his collar to record his travels.  They soon realized Owney was traveling around the country.
Owney’s collar became too heavy for him to wear, so Postmaster General John Wanamaker gave him a special jacket to display his many tags and badges.  Owney’s adventures took him all across the country and around the world.  Over the years, the postal dog received 1,017 souvenirs from his travels.
After his death, Owney was preserved by his admirers.  He was placed on display at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and was then given to the Smithsonian.  Today he has his own exhibit at the National Postal Museum.  He reminds us that postal history can take on different forms – including that of a stray dog.