Dog of the Week - Greyfriars Bobby

 

Greyfriars Bobby is famous for his loyalty. Bobby, a Skye terrier was owned by a night watchman for Edinburgh City Police, John Gray, who died when Bobby was about two years old. Bobby spent the rest of his life at his masters grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard.

 

Greyfriars Bobby's loyalty is commemorated with a statue by Willian Brodie "A TRIBUTE TO THE AFFECTIONATE FIDELITY OF GREYFRIAR'S BOBBY. IN 1858, THIS FAITHFUL DOG FOLLOWED THE REMAINS OF HIS MASTER TO GREYFRIAR'S CHURCHYARD AND LINGERED NEAR THE SPOT UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1872 WITH PERMISSION, ERECTED BY THE BARONESS BURDETT- COUTTS" and on the statue is written "GREYFRIAR'S BOBBY, FROM THE LIFE JUST BEFORE HIS DEATH" and "W.H. Brodie Sc RSA 1872"

His grave, where people leave sticks and dog toys, is marked with a stone erected by The Dog Aid Society of Scotland in 1981 which reads:

"Greyfriars Bobby Died 14 January 1872 Aged 16 years Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all."

Image credits: Top: By National Galleries of Scotland (Greyfriars Bobby) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons, middle: Michael Reeve This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Bottom: Stephen Montgomery licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Gelert ~ Dog of The Week

 In the 13th Century Wales, Llwelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd, owned a faithful hound named Gelert. Some say the dog was a gift to Llwelyn from King John of England.

One day Prince Llweyln returned from a hunting trip to find his baby missing and blood on Gelert's muzzle. In a fit of anguish, believing that Gelert had harmed his child, Llweyln drew his sword and killed Gelert. But at that moment he heard a babies cry and found his son under the overturned cradle and the dead body of a wolf.

Gelert had not killed his child but saved him from a wolf attack and Llwelyn had killed his faithful hound.

Prince Llweyln buried Gelert with great sadness, legend has it that he is buried in a village named Beddgelert. Beddgelert is Welsh for Gelert's Grave. A memorial to Gelert can be found there which reads:

GELERT'S GRAVE
IN THE 13TH CENTURY, LLYWELYN, PRINCE OF NORTH WALES, HAD A PALACE AT BEDDGELERT. ONE DAY HE WENT HUNTING WITHOUT GELERT "THE FAITHFUL HOUND" WHO WAS UNACCOUNTABLY ABSENT. ON LLYWELYN'S RETURN, THE TRUANT STAINED AND SMEARED WITH BLOOD, JOYFULLY SPRANG TO MEET HIS MASTER. THE PRINCE ALARMED HASTENED TO FIND HIS SON, AND SAW THE INFANT'S COT EMPTY, THE BEDCLOTHES AND FLOOR COVERED WITH BLOOD. THE FRANTIC FATHER PLUNGED THE SWORD INTO THE HOUND'S SIDE THINKING IT HAD KILLED HIS HEIR. THE DOG'S DYING YELL WAS ANSWERED BY A CHILD'S CRY. LLYWELYN SEARCHED AND DISCOVERED HIS BOY UNHARMED BUT NEAR BY LAY THE BODY OF A MIGHTY WOLF WHICH GELERT HAD SLAIN, THE PRINCE FILLED WITH REMORSE IS SAID NEVER TO HAVE SMILED AGAIN. HE BURIED GELERT HERE. THE SPOT IS CALLED BEDDGELERT.

Images: Gelert by Charles Burton Barber (1845-1894), 
Gelert's grave via Wikipedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported