Greyfriars Bobby,
In 1850 a gardener called John Gray, together with his wife Jess and son John, arrived in Edinburgh. Unable to find work as a gardener he avoided the workhouse by joining the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman.

To keep him company through the long winter nights John took on a partner, a diminutive Skye Terrier, his ‘watchdog’ called Bobby. Together John and Bobby became a familiar sight trudging through the old cobbled streets of Edinburgh. Through thick and thin, winter and summer, they were faithful friends.

The years on the streets appear to have taken their toll on John, as he was treated by the Police Surgeon for tuberculosis.

John eventually died of the disease on the 15th February 1858 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Bobby soon touched the hearts of the local residents when he refused to leave his master's grave, even in the worst weather conditions.

The gardener and keeper of Greyfriars tried on many occasions to evict Bobby from the Kirkyard. In the end he gave up and provided a shelter for Bobby by placing sacking beneath two tablestones at the side of John Gray’s grave.

Bobby’s fame spread throughout Edinburgh. It is reported that almost on a daily basis the crowds would gather at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o'clock gun that would signal the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal.

Bobby would follow William Dow, a local joiner and cabinet maker to the same Coffee House that he had frequented with his now dead master, where he was given a meal.

In 1867 a new bye-law was passed that required all dogs to be licensed in the city or they would be destroyed. Sir William Chambers (The Lord Provost of Edinburgh) decided to pay Bobby's licence and presented him with a collar with a brass inscription "Greyfriars Bobby from the Lord Provost 1867 licensed". This can be seen at the Museum of Edinburgh.

The kind folk of Edinburgh took good care of Bobby, but still he remained loyal to his master. For fourteen years the dead man's faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872.

Baroness Angelia Georgina Burdett-Coutts, President of the Ladies Committee of the RSPCA, was so deeply moved by his story that she asked the City Council for permission to erect a granite fountain with a statue of Bobby placed on top.

William Brody sculptured the statue from life, and it was unveiled without ceremony in November 1873, opposite Greyfriars Kirkyard. And it is with that, that Scotland’s Capital city will always remember its most famous and faithful dog

Bobby's headstone reads "Greyfriars Bobby - died 14th January 1872 - aged 16 years - Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all".[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

dam it almost brought a tear to my eye mate loyalty is a big word

My heart was touched by this little animal so long ago.

and they told me you didnt have a heart mate

Only problem is the story was made up, sorry to ruin it for you but its true.

Cant remember the exact details but it was a journalist who wrote the story for a newspaper.

never been proven to be either true or false. someone investagated it and discorved two very different pictures of the dog. is idea is the church had one dog who locals assumed was the dog of a dead master buried there and flocked to the church. he then thinks that when that dog died a local buisness replaced him. he also goes to say if the owner was a policeman he wouldn't of had a small dog and the other rumor that he was infact a shepard would mean he wouldn't have been buried in the centre of the city. I guess it'll never be fact either way. its a nice story though and better left the way it is without people with to much time on their hands "investgating" telling the papers what they "think" by the way there is a film of it . think its Disney that made it

yeah I could not remember the exact details but agree they should leave it as it is a nice story.

Over the last six years in a cemetery in Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina, an extraordinary story has been unfolding.

Capitán is a seemingly ordinary German Shepherd, who lived with a man named Miguel Guzmán, his wife Verónica, and their son Damián. In 2006, Miguel died, leaving his family—human and canine—distraught. In fact, Capitán was so upset that he ran away from home while the others were at Miguel’s funeral. His humans searched for him for a week, but were unable to locate him.

The next Sunday, Verónica and Damián went to visit Miguel’s grave. To their astonishment, Capitán was there, waiting at the grave. He approached them with heartrending barks and howls, as though crying for his lost human. Remarkably, Capitán had never been to the cemetery before, and yet he had managed to track down the exact spot where his human lay buried. When evening came, Verónica and Damián tried to call him home, but Capitán refused to budge. In later weeks, he sometimes spent time with his family at their home, but every night, he would return to Miguel’s grave before dark. Miguel’s widow suggests, “I don’t think he wanted to leave Miguel on his own at night.”

In the Daily Mail, the cemetery director describes Capitán’s ritual of devotion:

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/faithful-dog-guards-owners-grave-for-6-years-photos.html#ixzz2Ayl3Kt6p
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getagrip wrote:

Only problem is the story was made up, sorry to ruin it for you but its true.

Cant remember the exact details but it was a journalist who wrote the story for a newspaper.

I tend to believe it "oh doubting one"

I would like to believe it, it's a touching story.

They do say thought that if you die a dog will lie with you but a cat will eat you

getagrip wrote:

Only problem is the story was made up, sorry to ruin it for you but its true.

Cant remember the exact details but it was a journalist who wrote the story for a newspaper.

Don't rain on me parade, I believe it so its true