Ms MacDonell: Animal stories - Famous dog Greyfriars Bobby

The Story of Greyfriars Bobby

In 1850, a gardener named John Gray moved to Edinburgh with his wife and young son. The family was poor. John Gray tried hard to find work, but failed. So he decided to give up his gardening trade and instead took a job as a night watchman with the Edinburgh police.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Skye Terrier

Cobbled streets in the old town of Edinburgh

It was lonely walking through the cobbled streets of Edinburgh all night, so John Gray got a small Skye Terrier to accompany him on his nightly rounds. John named the dog "Bobby". They soon became a familiar sight on the streets of Edinburgh.

It was difficult being a watchman during the cold winter nights in Edinburgh. John Gray became sick with tuberculosis. The police doctor treated him, but unfortunately he died on the 15th of February, 1858.

John Gray was buried in the graveyard of Greyfriars* Kirk.

An early drawing of Bobby at the grave

In Scotland, churches are called kirks

Bobby lay down on the grave and refused to move. He stayed there in good weather and bad. People tried to evict him from the graveyard, but he refused to leave. So the keeper at the graveyard built him a small stone shelter near the grave. People were sad to see the poor dog, so they would bring him food.

Eventually, a local carpenter took Bobby to a nearby café. It was the coffee house where Bobby had gone with his master, John Gray.

Traill's Coffee House

After that, every day when the 1 o'clock bell sounded, Bobby would leave the gravesite and go to the coffee house for his lunch.

The Traill family ran the Coffee House .

For the next 14 years, Bobby kept watch over the grave of his master until he too passed away.

A photograph from 1865, thought to be Greyfriars Bobby

One year after his death, a rich woman from Edinburgh decided to build a fountain near the graveyard to commemorate the famous dog. People still come to Edinburgh to see the statue of Greyfriars Bobby.