Greyfriars Bobby

he waited 14 years by his master's grave

Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier, is the poster-dog for canine loyalty. He was the companion of John Gray, a night watchman in the city of Edinburgh in the mid 1800’s. When his master died, Greyfriars Bobby spent the rest of his life (14 years) sitting by his master’s grave until he passed away in 1872. He was buried in the churchyard, close to his master’s grave.

Times were tough. In the mid 19th century, Edinburgh was said to have “two towns”, an old and a new. Old Town saw an extraordinary population surge, from 90,000 in 1791 to 220,000 in 1860. The formerly beautiful houses were subdivided and portioned off to provide housing. The city, ravaged by slums, poverty, and crime, suffered a devastating outbreak of cholera and typhoid fever. John Gray, as a night watchman, would have been kept busy in his job patrolling the dirty and depressing slums of Edinburgh.

A year after Gray’s death, philanthropist, Lady Burdett-Coutts, said to be the richest heiress in England, fell in love wit…