Greyfriars Bobby film star dog's remains found after 18-month search
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A Walt Disney film was made in 1961 about Greyfriars Bobby
The remains of the dog who starred in the 1960s movie about Greyfriars Bobby have been found after an 18-month search in the Scottish Borders.
David Hunter faced a race against time to find the burial spot before houses were built on top of it.
He and his team were almost ready to give up when they found Bobby's coffin.
They now hope to have him reinterred at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, near where the original Greyfriars Bobby is buried.
The story of the terrier which faithfully visited its master's grave for 14 years after his death in 1858 became known across the world.
Greyfriars Bobby was honoured with a statue in Edinburgh and also inspired a book and then, in 1961, a Walt Disney film.
The Skye terrier which was chosen to play the role was given to Willie Merrilees after the movie had been filmed.
He was the former chief constable of Lothian and Peebles constabulary, and had helped with the film's script.
The terrier ended up with one of his chief inspectors, John Turner, who was the uncle of David Hunter.
After his starring role in the Walt Disney film the dog remained something of a celebrity
He remembers the dog being at family gatherings while he was growing up in Edinburgh.
Mr Hunter said the canine star lived in the city's Morningside area and remained something of a celebrity until his death.
He was then buried at a property which Mr Merrilees owned called The Nick, which was located near the village of Dolphinton.
"Bobby was buried at The Nick in a grand funeral attended by VIPs and the public on 23 June 1974," said Mr Hunter.
"A headstone marked the grave and a while later Willie had a replica Greyfriars Bobby statue made mounted on a cairn."
Mr Hunter said it took him and his team months of research - and digging - to find the small coffin
However, the property changed hands a number of times in the years following and the headstone and memorial were lost.
When Mr Hunter found out that plans to build new houses on the site had been approved by the Scottish Borders Council in 2021, he started his search for the remains.
"I couldn't bear the thought of him unwittingly ending up under a house or garage," he said.
"I contacted the property owner who had no idea of the historical significance of the place.
"He was fascinated with the story and very graciously put his house building project on hold to allow us to go and search for the remains."
It is hoped the remains can be reinterred near to the original Greyfriars Bobby in Edinburgh
That was just the start of a lengthy journey.
"It's taken over two years of research and 18 months of digging," said Mr Hunter.
"There have been many disappointments when we thought we were getting close but we kept the faith."
Using maps, old photographs and information from former owners of the property and others they gradually pieced together where the remains might be.
"I think we made more progress in the last four weeks of last year than we had in 18 months," admitted Mr Hunter.
A gravestone was removed from the area some years ago, making the search more difficult
On Saturday, with what he described as a mix of excitement and apprehension, they made what they had agreed would be their final dig.
"The friendships that had been forged - grown men with a JCB looking for a dead dog on waste ground - you couldn't make this up," he said.
"We kind of thought if we don't find him in this area here, he is not here, and we all agreed it was over."
They started to work at about 09:00 and had dug about 90% of the area when they discovered the side of a small coffin.
Mr Hunter said his group had agreed the latest dig would be their final one
"There were a few seconds of silence when we didn't actually realise we had discovered what we had discovered," he said.
He said it prompted "scenes of jubilation" but also "more quiet reflection".
The story is not quite over as Mr Hunter hopes they will be able to reinter the remains at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, near the original Bobby.
He said that could take some time to achieve but would be the right place for the canine film star to be laid to rest.
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- Published24 July 2022
