Edinburgh has the tale of Greyfriars’ Bobby and San Diego has the story of Bum the dog, who for a homeless dog became something of a celebrity, loved by all in his hometown, much like our very own Bobby. When the two cities twinned in 1977, they each presented the other with a statue of these loveable dogs.

This statue of Bum the dog is found in Princes Street Gardens, alongside the following plaque…

San Diego has the original statue of Bum alongside a replica of Edinburgh’s Bobby statue…

Which includes a plaque explain more about Bum…

The love and loyalty of both legendary dogs forever joins San Diego and Edinburgh as sister cities.

The post Greyfriars’ Bobby and Bum the Dog! appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Greyfriars Bobby is known around the world as the epitome of man’s best friend, not budging from his masters grave from the day of his burial in 1858 up until his own passing in 1872. The story is well known in Scotland and around the world, through several books and films, particularly the 1961 Walt Disney film Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog. Bobby even inspired the small monument above, interestingly Edinburgh’s smallest listed building, which was originally built as a drinking fountain with an upper section for humans and a lower section for their dogs.

However new evidence goes to support the idea that Bobby was a hoax cooked up by local businessmen to keep the tourists flowing and as such the coin from their pockets.

Dr Jan Bondeson, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University, has uncovered evidence that there were in fact two Bobbies from 1858 to 1872 and that neither of them belonged to the man buried in Greyfriars cemetery whose grave they sat by.  Dr Bondeson has saidthat he ‘smelt a rat’ whilst researching the story of the famous dog for a book on amazing dogs throughout history.  His research shows the first dog was in fact a stray which wandered into the nearby Heriot’s hospital, now George Heriot’s School, and was then taken to the graveyard. James Brown, the curator of the cemetery, treated him so well that he stayed, and locals assumed he was mourning his dead master. This worked in the favour of Brown and a local restaurant owner, John Triall, with donations coming in thick and fast to Brown and many of the visitors stopping for food in Triall’s restaurant.

His research goes on to show that this dog passed of old age around 1867 and was replaced by Triall and Brown in an effort to keep the visitors flowing.  Artwork and pictures of Bobby show a distinct change in 1867.

The first was an elderly, tired dog who wasn’t much to look at, and the second a lively terrier who ran around and fought other dogs. This would also go some way to explain the longevity of Bobby, who lived a long 16 years, when even today 10 to 12 years is a good life span for a Skye terrier. Dr Bondeson has also stated that these two dogs where joined by many others. Visitors would think such strays were mourning their masters and leave them scraps of food, and not surprisingly, considering the treatment they were receiving, the dogs would stay for more.

‘It won’t ever be possible to debunk the story of Greyfriars Bobby – he’s a living legend, the most faithful dog in the world, and bigger than all of us.’ Dr Bondeson added.

But what do you think? Is the story of Bobby true or does this new information hint at a Victorian money making scheme? Let us know in the comments…

The post Greyfriars Bobby-The Lie Behind the Legend appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Greyfriar’s nose shines again

Last week we reported that Edinburgh’s famous Greyfriar’s Bobby statue had undergone restoration work after years worth of tourists rubbing his nose for good luck. Less than 48 hours following the painstaking work to turn his shiny nose back to black, an abrasive material was “intentionally used” on the nose, stripping the repaired area. Police have launched an investigation, and are asking for anyone who witnessed suspicious behaviour near the statue in the last week to come forward.

The story is causing quite a stir in Scotland’s capital, with Bobby campaigners fighting it out on social media, and Bobby even gracing the cover of the nation’s newspaper, The Scotsman:

Bobby graces front page of The Scotsman

Here’s the latest from the BBC:

Edinburgh City Council confirmed it called the police after experts said the repair paint used should have lasted several years.

Police Scotland said the statue was damaged sometime between 13:00 on Tuesday and 17:00 on Wednesday.

The estimated cost of the damage is believed to be between £200 and £300.

Officers are conducting inquiries and urged witnesses to come forward.

PC Nick Davies, of Police Scotland, said: “This crime is as unusual as it is disappointing to observe.

“The statue is a beloved tourist attraction and is also very popular with Edinburgh’s local residents.

“The nose has recently been touched up to restore it following years of wear and at first it was believed the repair had not adhered correctly to the monument.

“However, we are now treating this as an act of vandalism after discovering that an abrasive has been used to remove the material from the repaired area.

“As such, anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity around Greyfriars Bobby in the past few days is asked to contact police.”

Richard Lewis, Edinburgh City Council’s culture and sport convener, said: “The work carried out should have lasted for a number of years and it is highly unlikely that it would have worn away naturally in such a short space of time.

“We will, of course, organise the repair work to be undertaken again and hope that in future people respect the statue of Greyfriars Bobby.”

We’ll keep our nose to the ground for any further developments in the case.

The post Bobby Update – Police Launch Investigation appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Greyfriar’s Bobby, Pre-op

Edinburgh’s world famous pup Greyfriar’s Bobby got a facelift earlier this week, following a successful Facebook campaign by Bobby enthusiasts. On Tuesday sculpture conservation and bronzework specialists enlisted by Edinburgh Council worked to restore the black on the dog’s snout after years worth of passerbys rubbing his nose for good luck.

Bobby campaigners had resorted to making nocturnal restoration visits to the statue in the past, touching up the dog’s nose with boot polish. They also called for the statue’s original purpose as a drinking fountain for dogs to be reinstated.

Work undertaken on the statue included a thorough clean with a mild detergent, then heated with a blowtorch to restore colour, followed by a microcrystaline wax and finally two further coats of wax were applied once the dog had cooled.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Although Bobby has never been in any immediate danger, it was highlighted to us that the practice of rubbing his nose was starting to make him look a little scruffy. As one of the most famous – and most popular – statues in the Capital, it’s only right that he looks his best at all times.

“Once we became aware of the local concern it was clear that we had to act and I’m delighted we’ve been able to get specialists in to restore Greyfriars Bobby to his former glory.”

Greyfriar’s Bobby, Post-op

The Facebook campaign, entitled Stop People Rubbing Greyfriars Bobby’s Nose It is NOT a Tradition, called on the council to restore the commemorative statue and was started by local resident Becky Thomson.

She said: “This campaign started out as a bit of fun and I was amazed by how many people supported the page. We discussed ways we could address the problem as ordinary members of the public – by asking tour guides to discourage it or maybe using anti-climb paint.

“Given that this is a world-famous statue in a World Heritage site it now makes sense the council are involved. Now it is up to anybody who is passing just to keep an eye open and politely ask people to keep their paws off Bobby’s nose so it doesn’t happen again.”

Bobby was a Skye Terrier owned by John Gray (or ‘Auld Jock’ as he was known to locals). Bobby was so loyal to his master that when Auld Jock died of tuberculosis on 15th February in 1858 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, the dog kept a daily vigil and lay over his masters grave for 14 years until his own death on 14th January 1872. Bobby’s story is well-known across the world, with his statue in Edinburgh visited by thousands of tourists every day.

The post Council Weighs In On Bobby Rubbing appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.