GREYFRIARS BOBBY

THE LEGEND OF THE LITTLE SCOTTISH DOG

By Betty Kirkpatrick

ISBN 1-905102-04-6
£2.99, PB

Edinburgh is sometimes referred to as the Athens of the North, a tribute to its many elegant, classical buildings and statues. These statues mostly represent people who have done something to merit historical fame of some kind, but the city’s most famous statues is not of one of these: it is of a dog.

Greyfriars Bobby was a little terrier best remembered for his complete and utter loyalty to his owner. When his master died, Bobby took up a more or less constant vigil at his grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Now Bobby’s statue stands guard opposite the gates of the graveyard and is one of Edinburgh’s most visited tourist sites.

Contents: Bobby’s story; Fact, not fiction; The Atkinson version; Location; Our hero; Bobby’s master; The supporting cast; The farmer; The restaurant owner; Kirkyard tenders; Young people in Bobby’s life; The Lord Provost; Sergeant Scott and the military connection; The film; The Macgregor version; Policeman, not shepherd; Restaurant owner; The name game; The lunch-time gun; Another challenger; Enter another John Gray; Bobby’s afterlife.