by Paula Straus

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Being a Helix Highlander Alumni, I was fascinated by the fact that many years ago (OK, it was only 1977) San Diego became a Sister City to Edinburgh, Scotland. There is even a Sister City Society right here in La Mesa that sponsors student exchanges with Scotland. The Sister City program was introduced by President Eisenhower in 1956 in an effort to bring about “citizen diplomacy”, and San Diego has participated with 16 Sister cities. 

 

Because of this relationship with Scotland, I inquired about a dog story I had heard … we not only were a Sister City with Edinburgh, we both had special dogs that have gotten huge attention! Dogs? Aye, dogs! It seems that these two dogs have some pretty serious tails, or rather, tales, attached to them. In 1886 a steamship from San Francisco docked in San Diego with a stowaway dog on board, a St. Bernard-Spaniel mix. He loved to wander the streets of San Diego and became a dog of the people. Someone nicknamed him Bum, and the name stuck. Business establishments would feed him scraps, medical doctors took care of his medical needs, and he was content. One day a street trolley ran over him and another dog while they were fighting, killing the other dog and causing him to lose part of his front leg. Bum had the unique desire to hop trains and travel as far as Los Angeles, so the telegraphers would alert conductors at different train stops that he was on board so they would take care of him, and eventually send him back home. Bum, the vagabond, lived until 1898 and was buried on the County Hospital grounds. There is now a bronze statue to commemorate him in the Gas Lamp District at the William Heath Davis House museum 410 Island Street, San Diego, 92101. His independent spirit lives on. 

 

In Edinburgh they had a dog that became famous in the 1860’s and ‘70’s because he stood guard over his master’s grave for 14 years. His loyalty and devotion for his owner dug a special place into the hearts of Edinburgh. You will find a statue of this dog, named Greyfriar’s Bobby, sitting steadfastly next to Bum at the William Heath House Museum in downtown San Diego, and there are matching statues of both dogs in Edinburgh too! However, when I visited Edinburg in 2014 I discovered they were not located together as they are in San Diego! 

 

I decided to go in search of these two famous dog statues, which I expected to be quite easy. We all know what they say about assuming something. Greyfriar’s Bobby was easy to find, a little Skye Terrier sitting on his pedestal in front of the pub that shares his name. The statue and fountain were built in his honor 1872, the year of his death, and is a highlight on tours of the town. I passed this statue countless times while exploring the city, but was determined to also find where our Bum was displayed. After doing some research and using GPS, I convinced my husband and friend to accompany me on my search, even if it was getting dark. The GPS said Bum the San Diego Dog statue was in Princes Park, a lovely park that rivals our own Balboa Park. As we pulled up, there was no place to legally park, so the men just waited in the car as I hopped out. As I approached the gate to the park I saw that the City Workers were getting ready to lock it, so I rushed in and asked if this was where the statue was located. The two guys said it wasn’t, but did I know where the pond and waterfall were? No, I didn’t, so they tried a different description of the location. No, I didn’t know where that was either, so they looked at each other and one said, “Do you have room in your car?” We trotted down the street, and he hopped in the front left seat. My friend thought he was getting a ticket for illegally parking, but was relieved when the worker started giving him directions to a road that was just below the magnificent Edinburgh Castle we had visited earlier. We talked politics as we drove (it was just before the vote Scotland was taking to become independent of England), the dedication ceremony that was held with dogs, balloons, and festivities that he had actually attended when the Bum statue was unveiled, and other things that I had difficulty understanding because of his heavy Scots accent. We pulled up to a locked gate, at which time he hopped out, unlocked it, and told us to drive to the end of the driveway. As we turned the car back around we would be able to then see Bum. We did as we were directed and sure enough, there near the gate in the corner on an asphalt road lay Bum, the three-and-a-half-legged San Diego Dog. Poor Bum. He was all alone on blacktop instead of grass, in the south forty of the park, hidden from view to most visitors. At least they have a yearly celebration for the two dogs. I hurriedly snapped a few photos since it almost fully dark. As we drove out of the gate, he locked it behind us and waved as he waited for the other employee to come pick him up. Their kindness allowed me to complete my mission of finding these two Sister City dogs. So next time you have a few minutes, go visit Bum and Bobby downtown, and think of our Scottish connection. Don’t forget to give them a pat.