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.
Cats are no longer the outside countryside homeless animals that come closer to a house just for a while when they are in the mood for it. Rather the opposite, they have started living in city flats and have adjusted to our lifestyle. However, it’s...
Rabbits are popular pets especially for city flats. It’s because they don’t require a lot of space and don’t need to go outside very often (no garden needed). However, it doesn’t mean taking care of them is easy and no time or efforts are needed. We...
It sounds lovely: a dog gets a command, it does it and gets a treat or a reward for that. It won’t end with one moment in the perfect case and it will become the basic idea of a whole training for a dog that will become an obedient pet using positive...
Every dog owner knows that feeling when (s)he has to leave house to work or (s)he can’t take his/her pet with him/her for any reason and (s)he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Can a dog handle the situation or will it bark and go on the rampage?...
Fear is natural for people and everyone has their own fears. While someone is scared of spiders, heights or confined spaces, others are scared of dogs. This fear is common in children who haven’t explored the world so well yet and who don’t know the...
Guinea pigs are popular pets especially in families with kids. They are small animals that can bring a lot of joy. If you consider buying a guinea pig, there are some aspects you shouldn’t neglect before making the decision. We talked about what to...
Have you heard about sport called Disc Dog? It basically consists of throwing a disc to your dog that fetches it. Disc Dog can be done as a recreational or a professional sport. For professional competitors, there are several disciplines for which...
Siberian Cat is quite a new breed that was only recognized by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) in 1992. It emerged from crossbreeding domestic cats and breeds brought from the Near East and it found its home in Russia and Ukraine where it...
Most of us have this long thought-to-be-true idea that one dog year equals to seven human years. So, if you have a two-year-old puppy at home, it is already 14 years old when compared to humans. Therefore, if you have a ten-year-old dog at home, it is...
Breast milk is, in the beginning of life, the best thing a pup can get from its mother. It is full of the nutrients it needs to grow and develop properly. However, as the offsprings grow, milk needs to be supplemented with other food, so they are...
Cat lovers and breeders know very well that one cat is often not enough, and that there is sometimes a need to get another cat companion. However, this decision will affect the whole household and, above all, it is necessary to prepare the cat you...
Many of us are under the influence of the need to fulfill a dream of getting an unconventional pet, which the minipig certainly is. This trend has been present in the Czech Republic for about ten years. But don’t be fooled by those cute snouts, taking...
