Why modern-day Greyfriars Bobbies can teach humans about loyalty and compassion

It’s that time of year when we’ve had chance to recharge our batteries and spend time with family and friends, creating memories to take with us into the year ahead. For me, having recently moved home, it was a time to explore new surroundings and bond with our new rescue dog, Bruce.

Walks with Bruce, rain or shine, have been a pleasure, watching him run and play and do the things that puppies love. To see the excitement in his eyes when he bounds back to greet me, no doubt heightened by the prospect of a tasty treat! Touching too to see his faithfulness and loyalty build with each new day.

It put me in mind of that famous animal hero in Scotland, Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier known for his incredible loyalty. After his owner, John Gray, passed away in 1858, Bobby spent 14 years guarding his master's grave at Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh.

Despite efforts to remove him, Bobby remained steadfast, becoming a beloved local figure. His story of unwavering devotion touched many hearts, leading to the erection of a statue in his honour and numerous books and films about his life.

The loyalty displayed by 19th-century dog Greyfriars Bobby has inspired generations of people for more than 150 years (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

Dogs’ heartwarming actions

A more recent reminder of the power of animal loyalty was brought to us by the amazing tale of Tad and Sophie, two Maremma sheepdogs in British Columbia, Canada, who saved a flock of sheep from devastating wildfire. The 2017 wildfires were horrendous, the worst in the province's history, burning over 1.2 million hectares, displacing 65,000 people, and causing extensive damage. The fires led to a ten-week state of emergency.

The advancing flames forced one farmer, Lynn Landry, to evacuate from her farm, leaving behind a flock of 90 sheep. Despite the chaos, her dogs, Tad and Sophie stayed with the flock, protecting them from the fire and other dangers like bears and coyotes. For 20 days, the dogs guarded the flock, ensuring their safety until Ms Landry could safely return.

Such displays of loyalty, faithfulness, and togetherness by animals like these warms the heart and provides life lessons for us all.

They serve as inspiring reminders of the art of living gently and kindly together and of being in harmony with all other life on the planet, coupled with the need to rekindle a compassionate way of living. It has never been more important. The damage we have caused to animals, the environment, to one another, has never been more apparent.

A world of noise

The health of humanity now depends upon the protection and health of our world. This is a concept known as ‘One Health’, which emphasises the close connection between the health of people, animals, and the environment. It has never been more crucial for us to listen to those interconnections and reaffirm our contract of togetherness with the world around us.

We live in a world of noise, where the loudest voice wins – we speak rather than listen, we follow celebrities, not scientists – a world where 'value' is measured in likes and followers, not true friendships and loyalty.

All too often, no price or value is placed on the health and well-being of other species. Humankind battles against, rather than living symbiotically with, nature. We are dependent on Mother Nature’s resources and her generosity, but we give her scant regard or respect.

Covid delivered a sobering message. If we are to guarantee a future for our society, our footprint on the environment can no longer be akin to standing with our full force on the neck of Mother Nature. It cannot be ‘business as usual’.

Global hunger for meat

We cannot go on with practices like factory farming and the worldwide use of cages, crates and confinement. Pigs in crates, facing the wall, unable to turn round. Cattle confined and fed grain instead of grass. Chickens packed so tightly, they have more room in the oven.

At the same time, factory farming fuels the global appetite for more meat and other animal products, meaning that more forests are cleared for farmland, encroaching on wild lands.

Food production already covers nearly half the useable land surface of the planet, more than four-fifths of that being devoted to producing meat and dairy. As the global hunger for animal products increases, so agriculture encroaches further into the world’s remaining wild lands. Wilderness areas. Rainforests. Savannah. Rich in wildlife and oxygen-giving woodlands.

As humanity pushes on into the natural world, felling tropical rainforests and erasing pristine habitats, so we come into contact with new species of life, including viruses. Literally encroaching on our future. In this way, we put ourselves at risk of a fresh pandemic every day.

Canine heroes

So, I am making a plea that, as we all plunge headlong into another year, we all do our bit to be a little kinder and more compassionate, not just to ourselves and our families but to one another and all animals and nature.

That we do our best to make friends, colleagues and family aware of the benefits of eating less and better meat, not only for animals and the planet but also for our own health. If people choose to eat meat, then purchase free-range, pasture-fed or organic.

That we support charities working tirelessly to bring about a more compassionate world. And that we take inspiration from the loyalty, faithfulness and togetherness shown by those canine heroes, and redouble efforts to protect and care for our fellow species, wherever they are.

Philip Lymbery is chief executive of Compassion in World Farming, president of EuroGroup for Animals, and a UN Food Systems Advisory Board member. His latest book is Sixty Harvests Left: How to Reach a Nature-Friendly Future. Philip is on X/Twitter @philip_ciwf