Greyfriars Bobby

 

Greyfriars Bobby - His statue is outside the Kirkyard where he and his master are buried.

The story goes, Greyfriars Bobby, was a little dog who, after his owner John "Auld Jock" Gray died in 1858, stayed by his grave side for the next 12 years. Bobby slept under the stone table next to his grave and in the winter a local man would put sacking underneath to keep Bobby warm. The people of Edinburgh loved Bobby so much he now has his own grave stone in the cemetery and a monument in the street outside.

Other stories say that in 19th-century Europe, there were over 60 documented accounts of graveyard or cemetery dogs. They were stray dogs, fed by visitors and curators to the point that the dogs made the graveyards their home.  People began to believe that they were waiting by a grave and so the dog was looked after.  Jan Bondeson claims that after an article about Bobby appeared in The Scotsman, visitor numbers to the graveyard increased, which supposedly created a commercial benefit for the local community.  Bondeson also speculates that in 1867, the original Bobby died and was replaced with a younger dog, which explains Bobby's supposed longevity.

No one will ever really know the true story, but I like the idea that Bobby loved his master so much he didn't want to leave him.

As you can see from the bronze statue, people rub Bobby's nose for good luck.  I did too (followed by a large amount of anti- bac hand gel!!).