Greyfriars Bobby was a terrier who born in 1855. Before he turned three, his owner - supposedly John Grey, a nightwatchman by trade - died. Grey was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. Supposedly, the dog spent the rest of his life guarding his master's grave. He even had his license paid for by the head of the Scottish SPCA. The dog died in 1872 of cancer of the jaw. He's buried in spot not far from Gray.
Is the story true? A lot of people have looked into the case and had some problems with it. It's worth noting that some stray dogs did make their home in cemeteries in that era, so there could be some truth to all of this. A movie was made in 1961 about the story.
No matter what, it's fun to think it could have happened. That's probably why there's a statue of Bobby at the intersection of Candlemaker Row and George IV Bridge. It looks like his nose gets touched for good luck.
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