Have you ever seen any of these 8 famous dog statues? Which of these mutt monuments is your favorite? Or are any of these dog statues not worth visiting?
In this article, we will introduce 8 famous dog statues for your knowledge.
- Greyfriars Bobby (Scotland)
Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier or Dandie Dinmont Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died on 14 January 1872. The story continues to be well known in Scotland, through several books and films. A prominent commemorative statue and nearby graves are a tourist attraction.
There are several books about this famous dog, but probably the best one to read before you go is “Greyfriars Bobby” by Eleanor Atkinson.
- Hachiko (Tokyo)
Hachikō was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Ueno's death.
Hachikō was born on November 10, 1923, at a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture. In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University, brought him to live in Shibuya, Tokyo, as his pet. Hachikō would meet Ueno at Shibuya Station every day after his commute home. This continued until May 21, 1925, when Ueno died of a cerebral hemorrhage while at work. From then until his death on March 8, 1935, Hachikō would return to Shibuya Station every day to await Ueno's return.
During his lifetime, the dog was held up in Japanese culture as an example of loyalty and fidelity. Since his death, he continues to be remembered worldwide in popular culture with statues, movies and books. Hachikō is known in Japanese as chūken Hachikō.
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- Waghya (India)
Waghya was a mixed-breed pet dog of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, known as the epitome of loyalty and eternal devotion. After Shivaji Maharaj's death, he is said to have jumped into his master's funeral pyre and immolated himself.
A statue was put up on a pedestal next to Shivaji Maharaj's samadhi at Raigad Fort.
- Fala (USA)
Fala, a Scottish Terrier, was the dog of United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt. One of the most famous presidential pets, Fala was taken to many places by Roosevelt. Given to the Roosevelts by a cousin, Fala knew how to perform tricks; the dog and his White House antics were mentioned frequently by the media and often referenced by Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. Fala outlived Roosevelt by seven years and was buried near him.
A statue of Fala beside Roosevelt is featured in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. Fala is the only presidential pet so honored. Another statue of him has been placed at Puerto Rico's "Paseo de los Presidentes" in San Juan. A third statue is in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, NY. Fala's collar, dog dish, White House dog tags and other artifacts also are on display.
- Gelert (Wales, U.K)
Gelert is a legendary wolfhound associated with the village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. In the legend, Llywelyn the Great returns from hunting to find his baby missing, the cradle overturned, and Gelert with a blood-smeared mouth. Believing the dog had devoured the child, Llywelyn draws his sword and kills Gelert. After the dog's dying yelp, Llywelyn hears the cries of the baby, unharmed under the cradle, along with a dead wolf which had attacked the child and been killed by Gelert. Llywelyn is overcome with remorse and buries the dog with great ceremony, but can still hear its dying yelp. After that day, Llywelyn never smiles again.
- Shep (Montana)
Shep was the name given to a herding dog that appeared at the Great Northern Railway station one day in 1936 in Fort Benton, Montana, and watched as his deceased master's casket was loaded onto the train and left. The dog remained at the station, waiting for his master to return for the next five and a half years.
Shep slipped onto the tracks before an oncoming train and was killed instantly. A few days later a massive funeral service was put on for Shep by the local Boy Scout Troop 47, The Great Northern Railroad, and everyone in Fort Benton.
- Fido (Italy)
Fido was an Italian dog that came to public attention in 1943 because of his demonstration of unwavering loyalty to his dead master. Fido was the subject of articles appearing in many Italian and international magazines and newspapers, was featured in newsreels throughout Italy, and was bestowed several honors, including a public statue erected in his honor.
Fido probably began life sometime in the autumn of 1941 as an independent street dog in Luco di Mugello, a small town in the municipality of Borgo San Lorenzo, in the Tuscan Province of Florence, Italy. One night in November 1941, a brick kiln worker in Borgo San Lorenzo named Carlo Soriani, on his way home from the bus stop, found the dog lying injured in a roadside ditch. Not knowing whom the dog belonged to, Soriani took him home and nursed him back to health. Soriani and his wife decided to adopt the dog, naming him Fido.
- Bobbie (Silverton, Oregon)
Bobbie the Wonder Dog was a dog who is acclaimed for walking 2,551 miles (4,105 km) on his own to return home to Silverton, Oregon, United States, after he was lost while his owners were visiting family in Wolcott, Indiana.
Bobbie too made it into syndicated columns in newspapers around the world in a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not comic right after his incredible journey.
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