Nipper's Future: Albany's Iconic Dog in Peril

0:00It's April 30th, I'm Cory with the story, this is Canada News Today, driven by AI. Albany's got this massive 28-foot nipper statue, a white terrier with black ears perched on a warehouse roof for nearly 70 years. It's the iconic RCA mascot from the old, his master's voice adds, cocking his head like he's jamming to a phonograph. Folks drive by on my highway and pointed out to their kids, pure local legend. Back in the late 1950s, they craned it up there to hype an RCA appliance spot. Nipper's one of several statues from that era, but Albany's is the biggest, towering over the skyline near the state capitals funky egg-shaped theater. Locals treat him like family, he's on hoodies, keychains, socks, even shot glasses selling out downtown. One bargoer said, nipper screams Albany, and store owners call him the city's unofficial mascot. That pride runs deep. But now the four-story warehouse below is crumbling. Unused for a decade,

1:00hit with foreclosure fights in a fresh red caution placard warning first. Responders to stay clear. Preservation is worry if the building goes, prying off four tons of nipper won't be easy. The mayor is pushing to landmark him city-wide, and a state board just nominated the whole warehouse district for historic registers, unlocking tax. Credits for fixes. No one's plotting a move too pricey and tricky, but they're hustling to keep this big dog safe where he belongs.