This is the true story of a dog who lived almost a century ago.
His monument stands in Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh to this day.
Commemorating his devotion to an old man whom he loved in life
and guarded for 14 years after death had parted them.
He made happier the lives of a whole generation of children who knew him.
This is his story.
Jock, where's Bobby? Will you listen to his barking?
- Good morning to you, Master. - Morning, Jock.
Bobby's in the barn hunting rats, Elsie.
Go and get him, Elsie, and tale him into the house.
He'll not come for anybody but Old Jock, Father.
Aye, he'll come for me.
Bobby!
Down, Bobby.
Aye, ye come to me as if ye belong to me.
But he'll Now well he's yours, Elsie, if you tale a wee bit of trouble with him.
Ah, Bobby boy. Shall I give you some breakfast, eh?
Aye, do that, lassie.
- Well, Jock, are you ready to go now? - Aye. I have my things.
It wasn't a bad year for the lambing, Master. I can say that.
No.
And young Master Wattie has learned the way of it now.
Aye, you taught him well enough.
Elsie, tale Bobby into the house, will ye? Jock and me are away to Edinburgh.
To the market.
Whist, laddie! You're not coming this time.
Go with your mistress and hold your noise.
Get up there. Wattie! Open up the gate, will ye?
Come on, boy. Up.
Elsie, put him in Jock’s old seat in the corner.
Maybe he'll sleep quiet there and stop his grieving.
Mother? Why did Old Jock no' tale Bobby to the market with him?
Give him a bowl of broth. Keep him quiet.
Is Bobby really my own dog now, to do what I like with?
- Aye. He's yours. - And Old Jock will not mind it?
Bobby! Come back!
Bobby, where are you going? Bobby, come back!
Bobby, Bobby! Come back!
Bobby, Bobby! Wattie, stop him!
Stop him, Wattie!
Bobby, come back. Bobby! You naughty dog! Come back!
Jock, I'm no' happy about you going from Cauldbrae. You Now that.
Aye. I'm not happy myself, Master.
Well... well, times are very hard, Jock. I just can nae afford ye, that's all.
I'm no' blaming' ye, Master.
I've been a shepherd now for 60 years.
It willna be so hard to find another place.
I did nae tell the bairns you would nae be coming home with me.
- I could nae tell them. - No.
It would serve no purpose.
Get up, boy.
Hello there!
Steady, boy.
I'm a minute slow by gun time.
How do you foll here ever get used to the crack of it?
My head nearly jumped off my neck.
I'd like to pay you for two weeks, Jock.
I'll not tale a shilling I haven't earned.
Well, if you want.
There's no more to be said. Thank you.
- I'll be going' on my way. - Aye.
Goodbye then, Jock.
Good luck to you.
Get up.
Come on, you silly boy.
You little imp! Go on, get down there. Get down!
Get out of here!
You dinna have to glare at me, Mr. Traill.
Glare at the dog, jumpin' on my lap and howling like a banshee.
You're in his master's usual place for dinner on market day.
What's wrong, Bobby? You're usually here bang on time with the 1:00 gun.
And you're all muddy and panting, laddie. Where's Old Jock?
No, Old Jock’s not here, Bobby.
Go find him.
I'd tale my hand to the wee dog for dirtying me like that.
If I put my hand to everyone that dirties up the place,
I'd have my work cut out, I'm thinning'.
Have you seen, any of you, the old shepherd body from Cauldbrae, Old Jock,
- in the market today? - Aye, just after time gun,
but I have nae seen him since.
It's the first time in years he hasna come to me for his dinner.
Yet his wee dog was here.
Give it back!
Get away!
Ach! Gang away home!
Bobby!
How did you get here?
You shouldna be with me.
You should be home.
You should be home at Cauldbrae, laddie.
You'll have the wee Elsie grieving' for you.
Have a wee drink. Come on. At least have a drink.
That sounds like Bobby.
Aye, I'm coming.
I'm not staying in the lirlyard yet.
Just give me a chance to get my breath.
You're as great a scold as the wife I never had.
Is that you, Bobby?
Here. What is it, Bobby? Did you find...
So you found him. All right, laddie, I'm coming.
Jock! Jock, man, what ails ye?
Man, you're sick. And you're wet through. Here.
Come on. Come over to my place. Give me your arm.
Come on, Jock. Tale off your coat and plaid, and sit down here by the fire.
Here. Give me the bag.
Here.
Aye, I'm wet.
- It's a misty night. - Misty?
It's raining like a torrent. And you call it misty!
I'm telling' ye, if Noah himself had been a Lowland Scot,
he'd have said the Deluge flooding the world was just...
just fair wet.
And wasna the Deluge fair wet, Mr. Traill?
- Have you had your supper yet, man? - No, no' yet.
But don't bother yourself, Mr. Traill.
I'm bothered as it is, so dinna male it worse by arguing.
And you, Bobby, stop that. I'm no' in need of a shower in the house, thanl ye.
Nor yet a pattern of dirty feet.
Aye, he's tallin' to you.
Here now, eat.
You were always a hospitable man, Mr. Traill.
And pray, how many market days have you spent your sixpence eating here?
I'm thinking of nothing more than to warm you up, so you'll be coming here again.
Now, din nae thanl me for that.
You're fortunate that that's a very intelligent wee dog you have.
He was here at the time gun searching for you.
Man, you're ill.
You're very ill.
Now, you stay here and eat your food. I'll go and get a doctor for ye.
- No! I'll not see a doctor. - Man, you're in need of a dose of physic
and a bed in the infirmary for a day or two, until you're right again.
No!
The infirmary's for poor people that are dying.
No man leaves the infirmary alive.
Jock, that's no' true.
I go there myself if I so much as cut my finger.
Let any student laddie bind it up for me.
That only proves you're soft. But not me!
All right, all right. Now, calm yourself.
Nobody's gonna male you do what you don't wish.
Now, eat your broth.
Bobby. Bobby, come here.
Bobby! Where are ye?
Och! He's over at my library in the corner there.
- Is he so smart he likes to read? - No, he can't read, Mr. Traill.
I can't read myself.
That's a lot of books you've got there, Mr. Traill.
You must be a very serious man.
Aye. I am that. And books are wife and bairns to me
and as good company as that wee beast is to yourself.
Here, Bobby. I'm thinning' you've not had very much to eat today yourself, laddie.
Here. There.
He's a good wee beast, this Bobby of yours. You must be very proud of him.
Aye, but he's not my own dog. He's not mine at all.
Man, he's fair fond of you. And a dog chooses his own master.
Aye, but he can't choose. He's got to go home.
I can't say that it won't be sad parting, but he's got to go.
I must get word to Cauldbrae,
so they can come and tale him home.
Bobby, now you lie still there and mind Old Jock.
I have to fetch the doctor to him.
I'm all right. I'm quite well.
Don't let a doctor see me.
You're very sick, Jock. It's the only thing.
Now, you stay here.
They'll not tale me to their infirmary.
Come on, Bobby.
What am I to do with you, laddie?
I can get a lodging in here,
but the old woman that runs it will not tale a dog.
What's that you're saying?
Aye, you're a canny wee dog. You're right.
I've carried newborn lambs in the pocket of my plaid, so why not you, eh?
Very well. In you go, laddie.
I want a bed for the night if you have one free.
- Free, is it? - No, no, I didn't mean it that way.
- Ahh. - I've been here before, you Now.
So you have, so you have.
I mind you. You're the one they call Old Jock.
Here's the money for my bed.
And the farthing for the light.
All right.
Has the front room at the very top of the stairs got anybody in it?
No, no. Nobody there.
That cough you have.
If you waken your neighbors with it, you'll need to fight it out for yourself.
I Now all about that.
Wait now, laddie. Ye may well smell rats in here, but...
whisht!
We're above the old city smell up here.
It was worth the climb, eh, Bobby?
I left a wee something here a few months back.
Aye! It's here yet.
A posy of heather, laddie.
And not dead.
You can almost smell the moors in it.
Can you not?
What do you say, Bobby? Will we pretend we're out there now?
Come on, then. Beg for your supper.
That's it. Good laddie.
Ho. Down now, down.
Up, boy.
Good, good.
Die for your country. Die for your country now.
Ah, that's a good laddie.
Hoo! Jump!
Loup! Loup!
Who's that dog in there?
Who's making' all that noise?
Shh, laddie.
What's all the noise about?
Shh.
I thought I heard a dog myself!
Quiet, laddie, or they'll throw you out.
In the devil's name, hold your row, or I'll fetch the constable to you!
I'll no' have you fighting' in my house. Hold your row!
You see what an old fool Old Jock is?
I have a Bible for my comfort, and I cannot read.
My father gave it to me when he lay dying' in his croft.
It's the only thing I've got.
A book I cannot read.
And a fool dog that's not my own.
I must get to sleep now.
And you too, laddie.
Lie quiet now.
- Good day, Mr. Traill. - Good day to you.
Did any of you find anything out about that old shepherd yet?
He has nae been found and taken to the infirmary or to the lockup.
- I Now for certain. - Well, I din nae understand it.
He can nae have gone far, and I'm fair worried about him.
But I tell ye, if ye see a wee bit of a Skye terrier running loose,
the old man will no' be far away, so sleep your eyes open.
- Ach, I've got better things to do. - Aye, and so have I!
And I pay my taxes where your wages come from, so mind your manners!
- Ach, ye si... - Morning, Mr. Traill.
Good morning, laddie. Here, just a minute.
If you see a wee Skye terrier, a wee gray dog,
anywhere near Cowgate or the market,
come and tell me, and I'll give ye both a penny.
- A penny? A whole penny? - Each?
Aye. But off you go. Away with you. See what you can find.
Here, how many more is there up there?
Is there one of you still skulking up there?
Dinna forget I can charge ye the whole day if you're still there at the time gun!
Do you no' hear me?
Are you in there?
Old Jock?
Old Jock!
Can you no' hear me?
Were ye that sick?
Hey, some of ye down there! Any of ye! Go and get the police.
Run, will ye? Run! Go on, run!
He died of pneumonia, and of being old and just plain worn-out.
You see? The old man dies a natural death.
Nobody's harmed him. He's not even been robbed.
- Hold your noise, woman. - Ahh.
It's something strange to find a decent old country body in a foul place like this.
This is a clean, respectable house.
- Who was he? - Old Jock. He'd no name but that.
His name was John Gray.
Well, there's enough here to give him a decent burial.
He'll no' have a pauper's grave.
Right. I'll see to it. There's no' enough to hire a carriage, or even a cart,
so he'll have to rest in the lirlyard that is nearest.
Now clear out this room, all of you. Not you, Campbell.
What's that dog doin' here?
Whose dog is it? The old man's?
- No, no. He did nae have any dog. - Aye, he did so.
- Ach... - I heard the dog barking' in the night.
Aye, that's true. There was a dog barking.
Then it's my duty to tale him to the police station.
He's got no collar, and for all I Now, no license.
Come here now, my laddie.
"'I am the resurrection and the life' saith the Lord."
"'He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."'
"'Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."'
"We therefore commit his body to the ground."
"Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
"Which thy well-beloved son shall then pronounce"
on all that love and fear thee, saying:
'Come, ye blessed of my father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."'
"Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Fa..."
"Through Jesus Christ, our mediator and redeemer. Amen."
Amen.
- Good night to ye both. - Good night.
It's past time for locking' up.
What are you doin' there? Be off wi' you! Away home.
Away!
A lirlyard's no place for a dog.
There now. Away wi' you. Away home. Out of here!
Dogs in the lirlyard.
Go on! Away wi' you!
Ailie! Ailie!
- What is it? - There's the dog Mr. Traill's looking for.
- Where? - There!
Come on and catch him, and we'll get a penny.
There he is, Ailie. Run! Dinna lose him now, Ailie. Run!
- Thanl you. - Hope you enjoyed it.
- Aye. - Thanl you.
- What do you think you're doing? - Och, out of my way.
Mr. Traill.
Mr. Traill, we found the wee dog.
Where have ye been, Bobby? Did the time gun bring you for your dinner?
Where's Old Jock, laddie?
What have ye done wi' him?
Whisht, Bobby, whisht.
What is it then? Is it Old Jock? Well, where is he?
Oh, Mr. Traill, do we no' get the penny?
Later, child, later. Dinna bother me now.
What's a dog doin' in here, anyway?
Throw him out. He's shaking' with a sickness.
No, man, he's hungry, and an old customer.
Which is more than ye are yourself.
Out you go. Come on, now. Get out.
Here, Bobby. Come on, now.
What about eating, eh?
- Did you get the penny, Ailie? - No. No penny.
I wish I Knew where ye came from, Bobby, and where ye left your master.
Now then, Bobby,
be a good dog, and let's go and find Old Jock, eh, laddie?
Here, Bobby! Wait! Here!
You want to lead me through the old lirlyard, laddie?
Wait.
The gate's no' locked yet. It's only latched.
Who's that at the gate?
Mr. Traill. What in the world are you doing prowling about the lirlyard?
It's time for locking' up.
- I followed a wee dog here, Mr. Brown. - Dog?
There's no dog here. It isna permitted.
I just let him in myself.
- You let a dog in the lirlyard? - Aye.
Then I'll have the law on ye!
You're supposed to be such a learned man.
Can you no' read the regulations?
Those regulations are no' the law of the land, James Brown, and well ye Now it.
You made up those rules yourself.
I'll have no dog in Greyfriars Schoolyard.
- You Now that! Yours or anybody else's! - The dog isna mine.
But I'll male a bargain wi' ye.
I'll tale him home wi' me,
and you can sleep your regulations.
Uh-huh. And I will, too.
I caught and put out one dog last night, and he's no' been back.
And I'll catch this one, too, mind ye.
Come on.
Now then, you go that way, and I'll go here.
Here, dog. Here.
Where are ye? Dog!
Here, dog. Here. Here now.
Bobby.
Ailie!
- Who's there? - Whisht!
Mr. Traill, it's you.
- The wee dog that was at my place. - Aye.
And Tammy and me chased him there, and you didn't give us our penny.
Whisht, Ailie! Now listen to me a minute.
- For a penny I'll listen. - For a silver shilling, listen.
- A shilling? - If you see the wee dog again...
and he's no' far away, I'm thinning' - call him "Bobby" and fetch him to me.
- You or any of you bairns. - Aye.
And the one that brings him will get a silver shilling.
Have ye taken leave of your senses?
I'll have every bairn in the neighborhood climbing all over my lirlyard.
And half of them are like wild beasties as it is.
- No' with me, they're not. - No, because you're soft wi' 'em.
I'm no' soft wi' any living thing.
A bairn's like a dog in many ways.
You tale a stick to one or the other and he'll misbehave the worse.
The bairns around here are poor and neglected. But they're no' vicious.
You get on the right side of them, man, and you'll live easier.
Wait a minute. You say there was a dog here yesterday?
Aye, wi' a funeral, and creeping about here afterwards.
- Whose funeral? - An old man named John Gray.
Dead of pneumonia in a lodging house at Cowgate.
Pneumonia? Aye, that'd be it.
Aye, and carried here by such a bunch of gaolbirds as you never did see.
And no mourners.
John Gray, you say his name was.
I Knew him as Old Jock.
And if the wee dog was with him, he had a mourner, all right.
Poor old man. I drove him to his death.
- What are ye saying, man? - He came to me sick.
I told him he should be in the infirmary and went for a doctor to male him go.
But he went away. An old sick man in the rain.
- Where's he buried? - Over here.
That's where they laid him down.
What's that?
- Here now. Come! Come! - Bobby.
Here, laddie. Come here.
Ahh. There.
Come out now. I'll fi...
Ah, you have him, huh?
That's the dog I put out before.
Aye. The old man was his master.
Be that as it may, the dog's no' staying in my lirlyard.
And might I remind you it's past time for lockin' up?
Can he no' bide here till he's claimed?
No, he cannot. It's against the regulations.
Then you put him out. You and your regulations.
For I can nae.
Good night to ye, Mr. Brown.
There. Now he's out.
And good night and good riddance to the pair of ye.
Jamie, what on earth were ye doin' out there in the dark, man?
- Administering the law. - Oh.
And what James Brown says in Greyfriars Schoolyard is the law.
Now what are we gonna do, laddie? Ye can nae get in there now. It's locked.
You might as well face up to the fact. You can nae get in.
Why don't you come home with me, laddie? I'm not a bad man to live with.
Will you no' come?
What's all the disturbance about?
- Quiet! Quiet! - Whisht, Bobby, whisht!
Mr. Traill, have ye taken to a dog at your time of life?
- I would if he'd only tale to me. - Then sleep him in order.
How do ye expect my, uh, customers to read enough to satisfy their examiners...
- if they're disturbed by all this barking? - Whisht.
You'll stop that dog's noise or I'll send for the police.
Geordie Ross!
- Yes, Mr. Traill? - Geordie, I have a problem.
Would you like to earn a sixpence?
- A sixpence? Aye, I would. - Then it's yours...
if ye Now a way to smuggle this wee dog into the lirlyard yonder.
- And never mind why. - Well, there might be a way.
- And you're the man who Knows how. - Aye.
Give me the sixpence.
Aye.
Ye like me now you're gettin' your way, don't ye?
Here.
And Geordie, if ye say a word about this to anyone, I'll give you a good licking'.
Och, I willna tell, Mr. Traill. I'll be very discreet.
- And that's the whole story. - There.
Nae dog will be permitted in Greyfriars Schoolyard
as long as I'm caretaker here.
Well, good afternoon, mister. There's no' much left to eat, I'm afraid.
- It's after 2:30. - I've had my dinner.
I'm, uh... I'm fooling' for a dog, and I was directed here.
A dog?
Aye, I'm from Cauldbrae, and the dog belongs to my bairn.
It ran away to follow an old shepherd body that used to work for me.
- Old Jock? - Aye. You Now him?
Well, where is he? It was nae right of him to win that dog away from my bairn.
Old Jock’s dead, mister.
- Dead? - Aye, of pneumonia.
And buried these four days since in old Greyfriars Schoolyard.
Greyfriars?
That's over grand for a shepherd body, isn't it?
Aye, but no' so grand as heavenly.
Oh, poor Old Jock.
I should nae have let him go, but I had no choice.
I didn't realize he was that sick, mister. If I had Known...
Well, he's dead.
Maybe there's others to blame. The wee dog's been here every day since.
He's over in the corner there, sleeping off his dinner.
Oh, aye, that's Bobby, all right.
And here, that's Jock’s plaid he's sleeping' on.
I bought it from the keeper of the lodging house he died in.
He looks well-fed, too.
- You've been very good to him, mister. - If you think I was aiming' to sleep him...
Oh, you could, if it was up to me, but my bairn's grieving' her heart out for him.
Oh. Well, it's best he should go, in any case. He'll have none of me.
Och, he eats here, but he lives in the old lirlyard where he's no' permitted,
but that hard to catch.
- Ah, tale him away. - Aye, I'll tale him.
- He'll have a home. - Better hold him close. He'll no' like going'.
Come on, Bobby. It's me, it's me.
Thanl you, mister.
Here.
Wrap him in the plaid. It'll hold him firm and sleep him quiet.
And tale him now. I'm busy.
- Hi, Wattie. - Hi.
- Get up. Go on. - Did you find Bobby, Father?
Aye, I've got him here in the cart.
Whoa, boy. Whoa.
- Tale him away, Wattie. - Right, Father.
Just you settle down in here, laddie. That's right.
Now, male him a bed out of that straw, Elsie. That's right.
- Underneath there. - Poor Bobby.
But bide here, and I'll come for you in the morning.
Aye, you'll have to feed him and lead him on a rope for a wee while.
But just leave him in here until he's used to it, eh?
Now, come on, lassie.
Bye-bye, Bobby.
Now you've got Bobby back, away to your bed.
Here, lassie. Tale Jessie with you.
- Off you go now. Go on. - Good night, Father. Good night, Mother.
- Did you find him with Old Jock? - No.
Old Jock is dead.
- Dead? - Aye.
Dead of pneumonia, poor old soul.
But you Now what? He's buried in Greyfriars itself.
Old Jock among the lairds and ladies? That's over grand for him.
Well, his grave's nigh to the Martyrs' Monument.
And you Now, wee Bobby there slept on it every night.
And hid from the caretaker, too, for it's strictly forbidden.
Oh, he's got nae respect for the law, that yin.
It's that dog. And how did he get back?
I'll put a stop to this. John Traill told me a wicked lie.
- Mr. Traill? - Aye, he did.
He said the dog had been tool away.
So there you are. So you're back. And how did you get back?
Don't be fooling' so pleased with yourself. You're breaking' the law of trespass.
You hear? And look at him. All mud and tangled hair.
Like an old fishwife from Cowgate itself. And just as useless.
No' useless, Jamie. See what he's done?
Four great rats he's killed.
You're a brave wee dog.
- Och, laddie! Look at that. - He's going out and staying out,
if I have to tale him to the police myself.
He's killed his own weight in vermin. Look here, and over there too.
And you Now well how they pester the girl.
Aye. I'm no' saying he isna a bonny fighter.
But he's still breaking' the law. And there's only one thing to do with him.
Aye. There is only one thing to do.
And we'll do it right now. We'll give him a good wash.
A good wash? Have you taken leave of your senses, woman?
I'll do no such thing.
And when he's dry, Jamie Brown, he'll be needing his breakfast.
He looks fair thin.
Breakfast now, is it? A bit of liver and suchlike, no doubt.
And a serving maid to wait on him.
Oh, hold your grumbling, man. I'll get him some scraps.
There now. Stop your struggling'.
A trespasser, that's what you are.
"No dogs permitted." That's the rule. Mind ye that.
You'll no' beguile me, because doggie, you're going out.
Out! That's where you're going'.
He's a bonny wee thing. Ye cannot deny that, Jamie.
I was wishing you didn’t have to send him away.
I have my duty to the minister and the girl authorities.
And I willna discuss the matter.
Ach! There's no rule against his living here wi' us.
Wi' us?
Woman, I'll have no dog in my house.
He'd be company for me... for us, Jamie.
Och, man. You used to say yourself years ago
that a dog can be as much company as a bairn.
Aye. And male just as much noise.
Now then, Bobby, come here. I have work to do.
There you go.
Och.
Ach, you're no' beguiling me. No.
Now then, there you are. Rat killin' or no.
Look now. "No dogs permitted" is the rule.
So out you go. Away with you.
Run along. Away with you! Aye.
Come along, girls. And this, girls, is Greyfriars Schoolyard,
the last resting place of many distinguished people
who have helped to shape the history of Scotland.
- Open the gates, caretaker. - Aye.
And mind, girls, not to tread on the grass.
Aye. Back a wee bit, then.
Ah. And good riddance.
Jessie, Hamish, where you going?
- Ailie, come quickly. - What is it?
It's the wee dog.
Come on!
Aye, it's him, I think.
- He's very clean and brushed. - But it's him, all right.
He won't be very easy to catch when Mr. Brown's around.
No. We'll never catch him.
Whisht, all of you!
Mr. Traill will give us a shilling if we do.
Now remember, he told Ailie. So listen here to me.
I'll go to the front gate and sleep Mr. Brown tailing
while you all climb the wall and catch the wee dog.
- Thanl you, caretaker. - You're welcome, ma'am.
- Good day. - Good day, ma'am.
Good morning', Mr. Brown.
What do you want?
I was wondering' why the gates are closed today. No' locked, but closed.
To sleep out bairns and dogs that male a disturbance.
I don't Now what you're up to, but dinna hang around my gates.
I want no bairns from the tenements in my lirlyard.
- I willna have them. - Aye, I can see that.
Catch him, Ailie!
Here. Out of here.
Out of here, all of ye! How did that dog get in here? Come on.
Oh, my goodness! Out!
I never...
Aye, you lot of blackguards.
Come away in. It is nae locked.
- We brought you the wee dog, Mr. Traill. - Aye, we caught him.
- But where did ye find him? - He was sitting' in the lirlyard.
He wasna hiding. He was sitting' there on a stone.
- Like he was living' there. - You told Ailie to bring him here.
How did ye get back, Bobby, and when?
And man, you're all clean and brushed.
Can it be you're no' hungry? Shall we see?
- Do we get the shilling, Mr. Traill? - Yes!
In a minute.
Mr. Traill must be very, very rich, Tammy.
- Here, Bobby. - Aye.
Now, Bobby, come on. Here.
There.
I said a shilling for finding him.
And a shilling it is. Amongst six of ye, it's tuppence each.
He's giving the wee dog chicken to eat.
Real chicken?
To a wee dog.
Ailie, go and coll the street doors.
Aye, coll them. I'm no' open for customers yet.
I was gonna have my own dinner first.
And as I can nae eat alone, we'll have a picnic.
What's a picnic? Is it not some lind of a cale?
No, laddie. It's... well, when you have a whole lot to eat and ye share it.
Picnics are for summer when ye eat outdoors.
No, Tammy! It's like I said. You can have a picnic at any time at all.
Here. I'll show you.
Oh, I forgot yours.
Here. There you are. Go on! Into the kitchen.
Dinna stand there with your mouths open.
Serve six dishes of the chicken stew on the corner table there.
Mr. Traill's got so much dinner he can't eat it all himself.
Come on now, set yourselves down.
And mind your manners. Come on, Tammy.
Ailie, pass the bread.
Chicken! Sings! I've never eaten it.
Ah, Bobby! You've finished. You're just in time to join the picnic.
Malcolm! I said mind your manners.
Tammy, say grace.
For what we are about to receive... Amen.
- I did nae hear you. - I was nae speaking' to you.
Eat.
Tammy, it's just like the tales you male up in your head.
- Aye, it is. - Does he male up tales?
- Aye. And he can read too. - Can he now?
Aye. And he males up tales all the time.
Like how he saves the queen from drowning
and we all get invited to a great banquet at her castle in Balmoral and...
Oh, stop it, will you? It's just foolishness, Mr. Traill.
Aye. And about him having grown two new legs to run about on.
Foolishness like that.
Tammy, we shall have to tale you to the infirmary.
I've many good friends there - doctors that eat here.
If they can nae give you new legs,
they can give ye a pair of crutches that are the next best thing and no' like these.
Eh, Bobby?
Come on, Bobby. We're no' wanted here.
Get on with your work.
Have you ever had bread that's soft like this and not hard?
I'm glad you came back, Bobby, though I don't Now how you did it.
And I wish you'd stay with me.
I'm not a bad man to live with.
And I'm sick and tired of living' alone.
I even envy Old Jock,
for having someone to grieve over his going.
You think I'm a fool, don't ye? Well, everybody Knows that.
Ach, that's no' so bad.
You're something foolish yourself, laddie.
He's no' coming'. He's no' coming' any more.
I'm no' heeding' ye.
You're a fool dog.
You've good fire and good company.
And it's bitter cold out there.
Stop that noise down there!
All right. All right. But you're a pest of a dog.
Now I'll have to go wi' ye to the lirlyard.
You'll no' get in there now. It's locked.
Ah... So you've come back.
Ah, you can wag your fool tail. Keeping me waiting here in the cold.
Ach, well... Come in, ye wee fool.
Ach...
Good evening, Mr. Brown.
I thought there was a strict regulation against dogs in the lirlyard.
Aye, there is. And the dog will sleep in my house the night, if that concerns you.
- He'll no' sleep in anybody's house. - No' in yours maybe.
But my wife, Jeanie, has taken a fancy to the dog. And he to us.
Ha!
Aye. We found him this morning all covered with mud and tired out.
- We washed him, and he's grateful. - And I feed him.
And ye bring him back into the lirlyard at night in the cold.
And against the law.
The wee dog is sleeping in my house the night and every night.
And you've no need to bother feeding him any more, Mr. Traill.
The wee dog has turned to us.
So good night to ye.
Here! Where are ye off to? Come here, boy!
Ah, so there ye are.
Now, you come to my house or out you go.
Ye canna be living there.
I told you that.
If ye come into the house, you can sleep before the fire.
But you canna sleep here, laddie.
You see, I'll lose my job.
Ah, thanl you, Bobby. That's a good boy.
Because I want you to come to the house.
Whisht! Whisht! Hold your tongue!
Ach... Ye never Now who your friends are.
Man or dog.
Jamie, are ye there?
- Has the wee dog come back? - Aye, he's come back.
But no' to us.
Come on, Bobby.
That's a good boy.
Is there no' one of you bairns can leave my dog alone?
- He's not your dog, Mr. Brown. - He lives here.
He's at Mr. Traill's as much as here,
and out playing' with us even more than that.
- Bobby's a very independent dog. - Ah! More big words, is it?
They tell me that you're now at Heriot's grand school.
Huh! A boy like you from the tenements.
Aye. Mr. Traill's persuaded the master there to tale me.
Mr. Traill does a mighty lot of interfering into other people's affairs, if you asl me.
And why would he want to get a bairn like you into such a fine school?
Well, he said my legs'll never be any good,
so I have to learn to male a living' with my head.
Ah, well... Well, then, don't waste your time playing with dogs.
Be off with ye!
Tammy, bring Bobby out to play!
- Aye, I'll bring him. - Whisht! Whisht!
This is a lirlyard. Have ye no respect, ye young heathen?
Just going', Mr. Brown.
And remember, I don't want you bringing' that dog back covered with mud
to foul my kitchen. Did ye hear me?
There's Bobby.
Are ye coming' to play with us?
Come on! Come on, Bobby!
What with Traill and the bairns, the dog belongs to nobody.
- Hm? - Good riddance to him.
- Are ye tallin' to me, Mr. Brown? - No, I was not.
- I was tallin' about yon wee dog. - Aye?
I've been watching' that dog running' about the streets here for a long time.
But he's too quick. I've never been able to catch him.
Catch him? For what?
Why? Is he your dog? Are you keepin' a dog in the lirlyard, Mr. Brown?
He's no' my dog. But why would you want to catch him?
He's got no collar.
Maybe he's got no license and that's against the law.
Aye. And we all Now that the law of Scotland
couldna last another day without you, Mr. MacLean.
If he's no' your dog, whose is he?
I wouldna Now.
But, uh, why don't you asl Mr. Traill?
Hm.
He seems to Now everything about everybody here in Greyfriars.
Aye. Asl him.
Mr. Traill.
Good afternoon to ye, Davie.
And how are you?
Finish with your tables, lassie. He's no' come for you.
So you've got a wee dog here now, John, eh? I did nae Now.
Well, maybe there's still a few things you don't Now, Davie.
The wee dog's a customer of mine.
- I'm not here for joles. - Ach, away, man. Dinna be so pompous.
I'm here in the line of duty.
Are you Mr. John Traill?
What ails ye, man? You Now my name as well as you Now your own.
It's a formality of the law to male you admit your identity.
Here's a bit paper for ye.
You're summoned to appear before the magistrate in the burgh court tomorrow
to answer a charge of owning or harboring one dog,
upon which you have not paid the license tax of seven shillings.
Mind you, if the seven shillings were to be paid in before tomorrow,
the charge would not be pursued.
Who says I own or harbor a dog?
I can use my eyes, can't I?
- Can ye use your head? - Yes, I can!
I've been watching that dog for a long, long time,
and now just this weel there's new rules about dogs in the city.
And you think you'll force me to pay the license for him, don't ye?
And I think I Now who's behind all this.
That old fool in the lirlyard, James Brown.
I'll see to this right away. So you can tale yourself off.
- You mean you'll pay? - No!
Then you'll present yourself to the court tomorrow.
Mr. Traill, what does it mean? Is it no' a joke?
No, it's no joke at all, lassie.
The municipal court of Edinburgh is very important.
The lord provost himself sits on the bench there when it's his turn to do so.
It's a serious matter. Well, I have calls to male.
You and the laddie do your work while I'm away.
Bobby! You come with me.
Mrs. Brown, I... I wish to have a word with your husband.
On a matter of business.
I'm afraid he isna very well today, Mr. Traill.
He's sleeping in his bed. Can I give him a message?
No. It's a very particular matter.
I'll attend to it myself.
Hadn't you better tale your dog inside?
Bobby! Bobby, my wee... my wee bairn.
Case against John Traill. Is Mr. Traill in court?
I'm here.
John Traill, you are the landlord of Traill's Dining Rooms in Greyfriars Place.
I certainly am. And everybody here Knows I am.
You are required merely to admit your identity. Read the charge.
You have been summoned here to answer the charge
that you, John Traill, are harboring a dog, unlicensed and stray,
in contravention of the new orders and powers
invested in the burgh police to apprehend such animals.
Do you plead guilty or not guilty?
- Not guilty. - Very well.
Call Sergeant MacLean.
I swear by Almighty God to tell the truth, the whole truth,
nothing but the truth, so help me, God.
Sergeant MacLean,
the deposition you made to this court is correct in every particular?
Yes, sir.
I followed the said dog into Mr. Traill's place and saw the said dog eating there
and being sheltered by the accused, who did not deny the presence of the said dog.
There's an awful lot of "said" about this wee dog.
Did he no' say anything to you?
Order.
You will confine your observations to the bench.
Now then, are you denying the sergeant's statement?
I'm no' denying the fact that he saw that wee dog on my premises, Your Honor.
- Aye, that's what I've heard. - The dog is not my dog.
I'm no' his master. He doesn’t sleep under my roof.
Then who is his master and where does he sleep?
His master's in his grave in old Greyfriars Schoolyard these many months,
and the dog sleeps on the mound.
Jim, wale up. This might be a story.
Do you mean to tell this court that a dog could sleep out in the open,
all through the winter, in a graveyard?
This one has, Your Honor.
He's a Skye terrier with a coat on him as thick as the thatch on the roof.
Have you any witnesses to prove such a ridiculous story?
The caretaker of the lirlyard, like myself, has been a sort of friend of the wee dog,
and nae doubt would be pleased to tell Your Honor so
but for the misfortune he's so sick he can nae leave his house.
But nae doubt, if necessary, his deposition could be taken.
Do the Greyfriars Kirk authorities Now about this?
I've been to inform the minister, Dr. Lee, Your Honor.
But he's no' in Edinburgh. He's away in France... for his health.
There would seem to be no witnesses who are not in poor health.
Aye, Your Honor. Half a hundred children in the tenements there
see him every day and have made a great pet of the wee dog.
If you regard them as competent witnesses.
Though most of them are over young.
Mr. Traill, are you being impertinent?
Certainly not! You asked me for witnesses that Bobby sleeps in the lirlyard.
Mr. Traill, I don't Now if you've consulted a lawyer
about this charge of harboring the dog...
I think I've a good enough tongue in my head to be my own lawyer.
Your tongue is certainly long enough, Mr. Traill.
If this dog is owner less and unlicensed, it will have to be taken up by the police.
- That does nae seem fair to me. - Fair, sir? Fair? That is the law!
Master less dogs have become a perfect nuisance in this town.
Unless this dog's license is paid, it will have to be put away,
and that'll be the end of the matter.
Now, sir, are you prepared to pay?
Or am I to male out an order for this dog to be taken?
It's no' a matter of seven shillings for a dog's license, Your Honor.
- This is a matter of principle. - Principle? What principle?
I can nae be responsible for what is not my own.
The dog is no' with me for more than two hours out of the 24.
The rest of the time he's in the lirlyard, sleeping and working.
- Working? - Aye, working!
He's employed in the lirlyard killing vermin and the like
that the hardworking caretaker, Mr. Brown, is no' able to do for himself.
Order!
Mr. Traill, you refuse to pay this license.
- On a matter of principle... - Kindly don't interrupt!
Quite apart from the question of the license, there is something else.
According to the law, you are guilty of harboring a stray
without reporting the fact to the police.
For that, the minimum fine of five shillings will be imposed.
And if I pay the license against my principles, the fine will no' be imposed?
That is so.
In that case, Your Honor, I shall appeal against your decision
to the lord provost and all the other magistrates
- and then to the court of sessions! - Mr. Traill, the high judiciary
have more important business than reviewing small matters of this lind.
It's no' a small matter for me
to be entered into the burgh court's records as a lawbreaker!
If I refuse to pay the license, but continue to feed the wee dog as I always have,
you'll hold me in contempt of court.
- If you're asking for information... - I'm no' asking for anything.
I'm making plain my own line of conduct.
But you're asking me to let a wee dog starve for a legal technicality.
Order! Silence!
Mr. Traill, are you defying this court?
Certainly not, Your Honor.
You deny ownership of this wretched dog.
Yet you bring no witnesses to support your story?
No witnesses, Your Honor. But by your leave, I'd like to say this:
Davie, the next time you're near my dining rooms... come in
and let the wee dog you're persecuting give you a lesson in manners and morals.
Bobby at least has never bit the hand that feeds him.
But you have, Davie.
And you've had many a free meal from me.
Silence!
Mr. Traill, on your own admission,
you are guilty of harboring a stray without reporting it as such.
You will therefore present yourself here - and bring the dog with you...
at half past eight of the clock before this court goes into session.
Have I no' a chance to appeal, Your Honor?
Half past eight of the clock here tomorrow morning.
Step down if you please, Mr. Traill.
Ailie, lassie.
Did ye ever give a wee dog a good wash?
You mean Bobby, Mr. Traill? No.
But Tammy's sometimes washed him for Mr. Brown and says it's no difficult matter.
Aye... Mr. Brown's in poor health, I'm told.
So there's no chance of Bobby getting washed again until the sickness is all gone.
But I want him washed, Ailie. He has serious business ahead of him.
- He has? - Aye. Very serious.
So you bring him here clean and brushed at 8:00 in the morning.
Are ye talin' him somewhere, Mr. Traill? Is it a picnic?
Aye, I'm talin' him somewhere, lassie,
but it's no' a picnic.
It's a serious matter
of principle.
But you've done your work. Off you go.
Now gang away home.
We're right on time, Mr. Traill.
We washed him clean and combed him with my granny's comb.
Aye. He looks a picture. Here.
Here's a penny for each of you.
Ailie, you can give Tammy some of the porridge cooling' on the fire.
But where are you talin' Bobby, Mr. Traill?
To see someone of importance, laddie.
But I willna tale you tied, Bobby.
Here. There's me boy.
Come on.
Come on now. There's a boy.
Hello, Ailie.
You're, uh, working' for Mr. Traill now, are ye?
Aye. For a whole weel now.
Did, uh, Mr. Traill tell you about the burgh court yesterday?
- About him and the wee dog? - No. Why?
- He's just taken Bobby with him now. - Aye. To see someone of importance.
Och, that's just his way of putting it.
He's taking Bobby to stand before the burgh court as he was ordered to.
Tale Bobby? Why?
Well, if a dog has no master to pay for his license,
the police tale him up and put him out of the way.
- What? - Aye.
And Mr. Traill willna pay the license because Bobby's no' his dog.
How much are they wanting' for the license, then?
- Seven shillings. - Seven shillings!
- But that's a fortune. - Aye.
But I canna stop here tailing. I'm over late for work.
Seven shillings to allow one wee dog to live.
Not anybody - not even Mr. Traill - ever had seven shillings all at once.
I have the penny Mr. Traill just gave me. How much have you, Tammy?
Seven shillings is 84 pennies,
168 halfpennies...
and 336 farthings.
But there's more foll around the old lirlyard than farthings in seven shillings.
Yes, Ailie, but they're over poor.
But, Tammy, we have to get it. Mr. Traill has gone to give him up.
He was wearing all his good clothes and a long face to go to Bobby's burial.
Not if we can get the money first.
Tell everybody, Ailie - everybody you can find.
And I will too. Every bairn in Greyfriars, Ailie. And run!
Have you any money to save the wee dog's life?
I'm looking for the man Traill, the case with the dog. Have you seen him?
You can nae go in there until the court is in session, at 9:00.
- But I'm a member of the press... - That's my orders, sir,
from the lord provost himself.
Oh? The lord provost isn't listed to be here today. I think I'd better wait.
And as many would say, this is no' much of a case
for the lord provost to bother his head about, Your Worship.
I must be the judge of that, Mr. Traill.
Sergeant MacLean has the prisoner in custody, I see.
Now, Mr. Traill, the points at issue are very simple.
Do you give food and shelter to this dog? And do you own him?
- Let's tale the first point first. - Aye, I lodge him.
Uh, I've always fed the wee dog, ever since...
Well, I've always fed him and I'm no' denying' it.
Why did you, if he is not your own?
Well, at first, to ease my conscience,
because I blame myself in part for the death of the wee dog's master.
You said "at first." What then?
Och, uh... I've courted the wee terrier for a long, long time since then,
because I've nobody of my own.
But he'll have none of me. Except he's friendly and polite.
He just grieves for the old man that's dead.
The law says the dog must have an owner.
And I canna claim to be that, Your Lordship, because it's no' true.
But I cannot believe the law would male a man abandon his principles and lie
or... tale the life of a wee dog for a matter of a few shillings and a piece of paper.
The law deals with facts, not with emotions, Mr. Traill.
The dog is owner less
and unlicensed.
Is there a case about a wee dog in there?
- You can nae go in there. - You see, Jeanie? I told you that.
Whisht, man. My husband and I are important witnesses in the case.
Is it in there?
Here! You can nae go in there,
We are the dog's owners, sir.
Begging your pardon, Your Lordship, but that's right. That's right.
James Brown, you're telling a lie!
He's the caretaker of the lirlyard, Your Lordship, that's so sick at home in bed.
Constable, let these two witnesses in - no one else. You stay outside.
- Your name? - James Brown, Your Lordship.
- You claim ownership of the dog? - Aye, we do.
And we've come to pay the license for him.
Aye, my wife has the money here in her purse.
We just heard about the dog being taken up and I thought...
Yes, yes, Mr. Brown. You're claiming ownership. In that case...
It's no' the case at all, Your Lordship! James Brown is not the owner of the dog.
If I pay for him, I am.
You have no legal right to Bobby any more than I.
Mr. Brown.
Does the dog sleep under your roof?
Well...
No, Your Lordship. No' at night.
No, I canna say that. He sleeps in the lirlyard.
With the minister's permission, of course?
Well... no, Your Lordship, I canna say that.
Och! This is but a wee dog that holds its gab, and it's very respectful.
Aye, and he's only been there such a short time, Your Lordship.
For some months, Mr. Brown.
The minister told me that himself.
The minister Knows? He told Your Lordship?
He was told by the bible reader at the funeral.
Then by the minister at Cauldbrae where the dog once lived.
And might live now,
if you had not fed him every day to sleep him here.
The fools at Cauldbrae didn’t license him, Your Lordship,
or there'd be no charge for the lack of it.
I'm paying for Bobby's license myself, John Traill.
Ye'll do no such thing, James Brown.
In all my life, I've never surrendered a principle before, Your Lordship.
But the charge is on me, and I'll... I'll pay it.
I feel I must point out to you both that the dog sleeps under neither of your roofs,
so belongs no more to one than to the other.
I was summonsed to license him and be his owner.
- And I will. - But I asked first!
Perhaps both of you are thinking more of winning an argument
than winning the dog.
A dog needs a home. But it needs love, too. That more than anything.
Your Lordship, do ye think he does nae get that?
Because he most certainly does.
No' only from me and my wife, but from every child in Greyfriars.
They feel he's one of them.
Your Lordship, dinna send him away from the lirlyard.
For many of the bairns in Greyfriars, Bobby is the only love they Now.
What are you bairns doin' in here?
Come on. Out of it.
Go on, the lot of ye. Out!
Mister, mister, we're fooling' for Greyfriars Bobby.
Aye. And Mr. Traill that brought him here.
Are you going out or no'? Young savages in the burgh court!
Have ye taken leave of your senses?
Look for yourselves! Look!
- Y-y-your Lordship! - Silence. Close the door.
Look! He's not dead.
Will it be all right now, Mr. Traill?
I've got the money for a license in my bonnet, Mr. Traill.
Is it you I pay, mister?
It's seven shillings if you wish to count.
But where did you bairns get all this money from? And how?
Everybody around the lirlyard gave it, to pay the police not to male Bobby dead.
I gave a farthing, Mr. Traill.
Aye, near every bairn we asked. I gave a penny.
Everybody gave something.
Whisht! Whisht!
Have ye no respect for where ye are? In the great burgh court.
- Whisht! - Mr. Traill, hand the dog up here.
Answer me this, any of you.
Do you Now what it means to be given the freedom of the city?
Tammy would Now, sir. He's a scholar at Heriot's School... now.
It's when the queen comes, mister,
and you give her the keys to the burgh gates that are not here any more.
Right, laddie.
The gates and walls are down.
But we still give the keys to visitors who are grand or wise
or just useful out of the ordinary.
Like the Duke of Wellington and Miss Florence Nightingale.
Yes. The brave and faithful.
Now, here's a wee dog that's been faithful out of the ordinary.
For a dead man he loved, he's gone hungry and been cold.
He has never forgotten him or left his side by night.
And do the police no' have to tale him?
If he is made free of the city, he can wander where he likes.
- What would Bobby do with keys? - Sh!
"Greyfriars Bobby, from the lord provost! Licensed."
Ailie, 'tis the lord provost himself, and I called him "mister."
If dozens of children who Now him
will bring seven shillings in farthings and pennies for him,
they buy the right for the dog to live in care of them all
in the lirlyard of Greyfriars.
But he must have a collar,
so that all the police will Now him
and never tale him up for a master less dog.
He belongs to all of you.
And all of you are responsible for him now.
You're free, wee man.
Off you go.
- Bobby's free! - Bobby's free!
Hey, wait! Wait for me!
Get away, Bobby. Get away.
Is the wee dog the regimental mascot there, Corporal?
Oh, that's Greyfriars Bobby, sir. He belongs to the city.
- Have you not heard of him? - Och, aye, of course.
So that's him.
- Hello, Bobby. How ye doin'? - Hello, Bobby. How are ye?
I'm sorry the door wasn't open, but I had my hands full.
Here. Come on.
Down here. There.
Good night to ye, Bobby.
Bobby. Almost shut ye out.
I must never do that again.
Will ye no' come in?
What for?
Ohh, to have a wee dram with Jeanie and myself.
Come.
Good night to ye, Bobby.
Good night, Bobby.
Good night to ye, Bobby. I'll see ye in the morning'.
- Good night, Bobby. - Good night. Sleep well.
Be out to play with ye in the morning'.
Good night, Bobby.
Good night to ye, laddie.
Good night. Good night, dog. Good night, Bobby.