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Statue of a dog with a sunflower at the foot

Statue of Bum the Dog


A stowaway dog with an independent spirit, Bum of U.S. city San Diego liked to roam the streets, resisting any attempts at adoption. He earned his name feeding on scraps given to him by restaurants and butchers, some displaying signs reading: ‘Bum eats here.’ A ‘bum’ was an American term for a person without a fixed address or found begging on the streets.


An 1891 bylaw required the registration of all dogs in San Diego. However, the popular Bum was exempt from registration for life by the City Council. This echoes the story of Greyfriars Bobby being given a registration collar by the Provost of Edinburgh, which can still be seen today in the Museum of Edinburgh.


Edinburgh twinned as a city with San Diego in 1978, leading to the decision to exchange statues of the two celebrated dogs. A statue of Greyfriars Bobby was presented to San Diego and this one of Bum, to Edinburgh. The project, known as Canine Connections, noted that the shared statues "represent the spirit of the twinning link[ing] friendship, loyalty and shared experience".