In this series, we will get to know famous dog personalities. Dogs, after all, play an important role in our life, so let us take a look what have they already managed to achieve during the time of us living together. Bobbie walked an incredible 4000 kilometres to return to his family.
Bobbie was a crossbreed of a collie and an Australian Shepherd. He lived with his family in the town of Silverton in Oregon. In 1923, when he was two years old, the family went on a trip to Indiana and took him along. But he got lost there. Despite the family looking hard for him, they came back home without him, filled with sorrow, thinking, that they were never going to see their dog again.
However, after six months, the impossible came true: Bobbie appeared on the doorstep of their home. Dirty and emaciated, with the paws worn-out, but alive. He showed all the sings, that for the whole way – that is 4,105 km across plains, deserts and mountains in winter – he walked without any help. That is 23 km a day on average.
After his return to Silverton, Bobbie’s fame grew with rocket speed. His story became a subject matter of a number of newspaper articles (including the Ripley’s Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction), books and films. He even played himself in 1924 in the silent film The Call of the West. He got many letters from people from the whole world and he even received several awards such as a diamond-studded collar, ribbons or keys of towns.
Bobbie died in 1927 and he was buried with honours on the animal graveyard called Oregon Humane Society's pet cemetery in Portland. A wreath was laid on his grave even by Rin Tin Tin, the dog film star.
Until today, Bobbie’s example of loyalty is celebrated during the annual children’s parade of pets in Portland. It serves as a reminder of the fact that pets have a special place in the lives of people. This event was started several years after Bobbie’s death and the first parade was led by his son Pal. In Silverton, you can also find a 21-meters-long painting which decorates walls of several enterprises and which depicts Bobbie’s story.
By the end of 2012, a civic society of the citizens of the town of Silverton was established, which advocates the opinion that Bobbie’s funeral didn’t successfully honour his story and his connection with his home town. This society started to ask for the return of his remains to Silverton for a funeral and memorialisation.
It is incredible, what some dogs are capable of enduring for their family – pack. We can only wish, that their loyalty is reciprocated to the same degree.
Kitten Lady describes her activities as kittens’ advocacy and humane education. This all is done by young beautiful Hannah Shaw. She’s a kitten rescuer, spreads the principles of humanity and is an unwavering advocate of animal rights. She decided to...
Several kinds of hedgehog are kept as pets. The most common one is the four-toed hedgehog or an African pygmy hedgehog in other words. This pet which is not very common but is becoming more and more popular can live up to 9 years in captivity and...
More than one artist fell in love with these creatures and looked for inspiration for work in them. One of them was Ernest Hemingway. He is the author of the well-known saying “One cat just leads to another”. He really kept a large number of cats (in...
We have an active and healthy lifestyle. Or at least we try to have. In relation to that, we don’t only think about our own food but also about our dogs’ food. The trend of barfing has already come to the Czech Republic, too. It is a method of feeding...
If you go camping for the first time, it is good to prepare for all various reactions of your furry friend. Do you travel with it by car and by public transport with no problems? Is your dog okay when not sleeping at home, e.g. in a mountain cabin? It...
As the name of this breed suggests, you can’t expect much hair on an American hairless terrier. This small or medium size muscled dog has hair only on its muzzle and eyebrows. But the interesting thing is that puppies are born with an undercoat which...
Let us get this straight, what is monoprotein food? It is wet food (i.e. cans and pouches) which contains only one type of meat, muscles and bowels. And why is it better than common wet food?
A meat bomb in a form of a dog paté or can doesn’t have to be only a reward. If you are planning to go on a long hike – to the mountains or to the valley – you can make the use of a dog meat can. Dogs in move, usually when doing any sport outside, need...
The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is...
Runner Dion Leonard could talk for hours about the bond which is created between a man and a dog and also about how an unknown Asian crossbreed dog becomes one of the most famous dogs on planet Earth. He bumped into a dog companion at the ultra-trial...
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with...
Cats can also be heroes and put their lives at risk to save someone from risky or life-threatening situations. The first cat hero I will introduce you to is Scarlett. She showed her heroism in the most natural form – she saved her kittens. She took...
