An unbreakable connection: countries, cities and their famous dogs (10 photos)

Most stories about famous dogs fall into two categories. The first is stories like Hachiko, where a dog is incredibly loyal to its owner, especially if it lasts until death. The second is when the dog’s personality is so charming that an entire team or any other large group of people takes the animal under their protection and does everything possible to provide it with a better life.





Celebrity dogs from the twin cities of Edinburgh (Scotland) and San Diego (California) perfectly demonstrate both of these categories.



Bobby

Edinburgh is home to Greyfriars Bobby, who became famous for sleeping on his master's grave after his death. When city police officer John Gray, who was a night guard, died (he died of tuberculosis), Bobby suffered the blow of fate incredibly hard and spent days and nights at John's grave in Greyfriars Cemetery, only going to the nearest restaurant a couple of times a day to have a bite to eat. The owner, having learned about the touching story of devotion, took patronage over the dog and fed him.





Bobby Monument

Struck by Bobby's loyalty, the mayor of the city, William Chambers, ordered a special collar for the dog, where he engraved his name and the word “allowed.” This was done so that the stray dog ​​would not be killed as a stray.



Dog's gravestone

Bobby's monument was made in 1871, but was erected only in 1873, a year after the death of the Skye Terrier. Bobby kept his watch at the grave of his late owner for 14 years.



Still from the film "Little Bobby" based on the story

In San Diego lives Bam, a stray dog ​​known for arriving in the city as a stowaway and a stray and being loved by many locals who fed and cared for the handsome guy. While Bobby was idealized by Victorian culture for his loyalty, Bam's story of how he went from pauper to near-prince resonated in the late 19th-century United States.



Bam

Bam's story begins with him probably being born in San Francisco and arriving in San Diego by boarding a ship. Considered a mongrel, Bam was left to his own devices and was a notorious tramp. The locals adored him, children loved to play with the charming gentleman. When he got into a fight with another dog, resulting in them both being hit by a train, a local veterinarian amputated part of Bam's front leg. After this incident, his character changed.



Bam on license

It seems that the accident provided Bam with self-confidence: he began to ignore most food, eating only gourmet delicacies as a disabled person.



The Book of Bama by Marie Hitchcock

The dog also appeared at social events and became so famous that his image adorned all pet licenses issued in San Diego. Bam eventually died in 1898 at the age of 20, and was honored with a life-size sculpture in 2006 in the iconic Gaslamp area.



Monument to Bam

In 2008, in honor of the sister city relationship, Edinburgh received a sculpture of Bam as a gift, and San Diego received a sculpture of Bobby. Bobby from San Diego now stands next to the original Bam in the Gaslamp area. However, the Edinburgh Bam is located a little further from Bobby - next to one of the entrances to Edinburgh's Princes Street Park. In May 2021, the statue was moved to the grounds of St Cuthbert's Church.



The very idea of ​​such gifts is a worthy example to follow. After all, people have a lot to learn from their four-legged friends, who are famous for their deep devotion and incredible charm.