A monument to San Diego’s most famous dog resident, Bum, will be installed this summer in San Diego’s sister city, Edinburgh, Scotland.
John Wilson, president of the Edinburgh San Diego Twin City Association, told The Scotsman that Edinburgh plans to place the statue in the famed Princes Street Gardens, not far from the monument to Skye Terrier Greyfriars Bobby, a canine legend who maintained a 14-year vigil over the burial site of his owner, John Gray, at Greyfriars Church.
“Greyfriars Bobby is an iconic symbol of Edinburgh and we are delighted that a statue of Bum the dog, who has the same iconic status in our twin city of San Diego, is being presented to the people of Edinburgh to further illustrate the link between our two cities,” Wilson said.
Bum, a St. Bernard-spaniel mix, gained fame after stowing away in a steamship bound for San Diego from San Francisco in 1886. The three-legged dog became so popular that he was declared San Diego’s official town dog and his likeness printed on dog tax receipts.
A statue of Bum stands in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. The dog provides “commentary” during exhibits at the Museum of San Diego History in Balboa Park.