As the story goes, Bobby the Skye terrier spent 14 years guarding the Greyfriars Kirkyard gravesite of his owner John Gray until he passed on January 14, 1872. Before Bobby’s death, he was gifted a collar by Sir William Chambers, director of the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Without the collar, Bobby would have been classed as a stray and poisoned as an unwanted dog. The collar is now on display in the Museum of Edinburgh. The statue pictured above marks the entrance to a charming bar named in honor of Scotland’s most loyal dog, and the restaurant’s website encourages rubbing Bobby’s nose for good luck. Whether or not every aspect of Bobby’s tale is true, we can all agree with the sentiment printed on Bobby’s headstone: “Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all.”
If in Scotland, you may want to visit these locations for the full Greyfriars Bobby experience:
Greyfriar’s Kirkyard (location of Bobby’s headstone)
The Museum of Edinburgh (location of Bobby’s collar)
