Weird Portland Wednesday: The Wonder Dog

Oh those beautiful pets. They are part of our family, our lives. Beloved cats and dogs, pigs and chickens, birds. Interacting with them can lower our blood pressure, reduce our anxiety, and decrease depression. Scientists believe our animals can increase our levels of the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin has a number of important effects on the body. It slows our heart rate and breathing, reduces blood pressure, and inhibits the production of stress hormones. All of these changes help create a sense of calm and comfort. And we love our pets. We think of them as "wonderful," "wonders of our lives." And, as much as it's true to us, they can't compete with Oregon's Bobbie the Wonder Dog.

Bobbie, a two-year old Scottish collie, lived with Frank and Elizabeth Brazier and their two daughters, Leona and Nova. Bobbie and the Braziers lived in Silverton, Oregon--about 40 miles south of Portland. In the summer of 1923, the family decided to take a road trip to visit relatives in Wolcott, Indiana.

Everyone hopped into the car and Bobbie jumped onto the luggage in the back of the car.  

Mid-August the family was ready to head home, so Frank, with Bobbie at his side, drove the car to gas up and get ready for the trip. Frank left Bobbie in the car while he went to pay. When he returned to the car, Bobbie was gone. Frank turned his head in time to see Bobbie running like the wind with three snarling dogs chasing him. Now Bobbie would often take off on his own, so Frank thought nothing of it; Bobbie would come back when he was ready.

But sadly he didn't return. The family and relatives searched the town for days, trying to find Bobbie. No deal. Finally, Frank and Elizabeth decided to head home.  Bobbie was gone. The family was heartbroken as they headed back to Oregon.

And then the incredible happened: On February 15, 1924--exactly six months after he’d run off from the Indiana gas station--daughter Nova spotted Bobbie while she was walking along a street in Silverton. Somehow Bobbie had managed to escape from the dog pack and spent the next six months tracking his family, covering the 2500 plus miles back to Oregon. He battled the elements, including crossing the unforgiving Continental Divide during the heart of winter and swimming across countless rivers in his single-minded quest. 

From Frank:

For three days he did little but eat and sleep. He would roll over on his back and hold up his pads, fixing us with his eyes to tell us how sore his feet were. His toe-nails were down to the quick, his eyes inflamed, his coat uneven and matted, and his whole bearing that of an animal which has been through a grilling experience. When he first came back he would eat little but raw meat, showing that he had depended for sustenance chiefly on his own catches of rabbits or prairie fowl. (https://www.inspiremore.com/bobbie-the-wonder-dog/)

Bobbie lived the remainder of his life as a celebrity. He starred in his own movie, Call of the Wild. He made guest appearances to fairs and shows. He was known worldwide. He even sired a litter of pups--16 pups! (He really was a wonder, eh?). And Disney eventually made a movie based on our Bobbie: Lassie Come Home.

Bobbie died three years after his incredible journey and was buried at the Oregon Humane Society Pet Cemetery in Portland (you knew there had to be a connection to Portland, right?).  The great Rin Tin Tin laid a wreath at Bobbie's grave site. Bobbie had been given a beautiful dog house, which was moved to Portland with his remains. A castle fitting a Wonder Dog.

Most Portlanders don't know that this wonderful dog is buried in our town, but Bobbie is not forgotten in his home town of Silverton. A 70-foot-mural dedicated to this devoted and steadfast dog depicts his life and incredible return to Silverton. And each year Silverton has a Pet Parade down Main Street honoring Bobbie. People walk the parade with their pets--dogs and cats and chickens and pigs and turtles, calves and goats. It is a lovely gesture honoring a wonder dog.

And having Bobbie here in Portland is just one more way we keep Portland Weird.
peace~~~