Much of the appeal of dog ownership is the loyalty of dogs to their owners. All dog owners recognise joy in their dog's expression when they return home after a short absence but there are stories where a dog's devotion to its owner has been remarkable. During the French Revolution many of the aristocracy, under the threat of death by the guillotine, took their dogs to prison with them. Not only did these little dogs provide companionship and improve the morale of their owners but they also were used as a means of smuggling messages to and from family members on the outside. In some cases a pet dog was the only 'member of the family' permitted visits. Marie Antoinette owned a Pug, Thisbeee, who was refused entry to the prison but is reported to have kept a vigil for his mistress at the gate. Perhaps the best known story of canine loyalty is the story of Greyfriars Bobby, a small shaggy terrier owned by a farmer in Scotland. When the farmer died in 1858 Bobby followed the funeral and stood, whining softly, as the coffin was lowered into the grave. As the mourners turned away Bobby did not follow, but lay there with his eyes fixed mournfully on the grave. He remained there all night and the next day was discovered, wet and cold, by the sexton who drove him away. That night, when doing his rounds of the cemetery, he found the little shaggy dog had returned and although soaked to the skin and shivering was huddled against the same grave. The following morning one of the grave diggers recognised the dog as belonging to the farmer who was buried there. The story of the little dog was told in the bar of the local inn and patrons arranged shelter for the dog and provision of table scraps. The story captured the imagination of the public after being written up in an Edinburgh paper and people crowded to the churchyard to see Greyfriars Bobby. Bobby learned to go to the Inn at noon every day to be fed a plate full of table scraps but would return to the churchyard to take up his vigil. Bobby was declared a stray and was about to be impounded when the Innkeeper guaranteed his yearly licence fee and accepted responsibility for the dog. The Mayor of Edinburgh presented Bobby with an ornate collar which had been purchased from money donated by the public and many artists sketched or painted Bobby. On the 14th January 1872, Bobby was found dead in his bed along side his master's grave. For nearly fourteen years he had kept his vigil and no-one knew how old he was when the farmer died. Edinburgh mourned Bobby, its greatest tourist attraction, and a memorial was erected in the churchyard in his memory. 2003#7.2

Author: Petcare Information & Advisory Service Australia Pty Ltd