Greyfriars Bobby is a famous dog Skye Terrier which lived with Edinburgh at the 19th century.

History

In 1856, unemployment making rage in Scotland, a former gardener, John Gray, left the countryside towards Edinburgh with its family. It obtained an use of police officer and was entitled to a Chien of guard. It thus obtained to its superiors a pup Skye Terrier which it named Bobby. The every day at thirteen hours crushes, sounded by a blow of gun, the man and the dog went in a small restaurant where Gray gave to Bobby a brioche then a bone.

Two years later, Gray died of Tuberculose. The day of the funeral, several witnesses recognized Bobby in the funeral procession which followed the first the coffin. Then, the finished ceremony, the dog disappeared. It never returned in the family of Gray.

The following day, the guard of the cemetery of church of Greyfriars, where John Gray was buried, was surprised to discover Bobby laid down on the tomb of its Master. The cemetery being interdict with the dogs, Bobby was driven out. But the following day, then still two days later, Bobby returned the night in spite of the guard who drove out it each time. Finally, seeing such a fidelity, the guard had pity of the puppy and obtained an exemption of the city which authorized Bobby to remain.

It was only at the end of three days that Bobby was forced by the hunger to leave the cemetery. The owner of the restaurant was then surprised to see Bobby arriving all alone at thirteen hours crushes for his brioche and his bone. After having swallowed its meal which was given to him of good heart, Bobby returned to lie down on the tomb of its Master. Consequently, it only left it to go to seek its meal.

Later, it was caught friendship for a soldier of Edinburgh and followed it when this last was going to sound the blow of gun marking thirteen hours. Then they were going both to take their meal at the restaurant where John Gray went before separating. But apart from this moment, Bobby did not want to accompany anybody. Many families wanted to adopt Bobby, but in a way so sinister that put him at each new hearth to be howled it was always authorized to set out again, and it returned without surprised to the cemetery. However, in sixteenth and last year of its life, there accepted, old and tired, to remain the night at Traill, the owner family of the restaurant where he was going to take his meal.

It is thus, at Traill, that it was found dead a cold morning of winter 1872. It had taken care on the tomb of its Master during fourteen years. The same year, the Burdett-Coutts baroness made build close to the cemetery a surmounted fountain of a statue of Bobby life size, which is always visible today. Huntly Museum of Edinburgh exposes also the photographs and the objects of Greyfriars Bobby, like its collar.

Greyfriars Bobby remains since more than one century a symbol of fidelity for the Scot, and their national dog.

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