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The Legend of Grayfriar's Bobby

 
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AmirN



Joined: 23 Sep 2005
Posts: 297

PostPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 3:16 pm    Post subject: The Legend of Grayfriar's Bobby Reply with quote

Unfortunately, animal cruelty is abundant in this world, and its ugliness is not confined to any particular geographic location or cultural background. However, cruelty and indifference to dogs is especially common in the Muslim world, and particularly in Iran.

As the pestilence of Islam infiltrated Iran, one of its many infectious gifts was cruelty to dogs. With that infiltration, such a negative attitude to man’s best friend has become mixed with Iranian culture, and further accelerated since the Ayatollahs’ rise to power.

Among the numerous superstitious claims made by Islam, one is that dogs are filthy animals and ought not intermingle with humans. They are, among others (including all non-Muslims) referred to as “Najis,” meaning filthy. Of course, why a dog is considered filthier than a human or other animal is baffling. There is no scientific evidence for this, which leaves egg on Islam’s face yet again.

Biologically, dogs have a special relationship with man. They co-evolved in a symbiotic relationship, benefiting from each other. Wolves that later evolved into dogs would scavenge around human camps, and became tamer as they learned not to fear man. As their interactions grew, man benefited by having a guarding and hunting companion. Thousands upon thousands of years of evolution has helped forge a special beneficial bond between these two species. A pact has been made, not by any individuals, but by the DNA of dogs and humans.

Any cruelty is appalling, but it is even more so when a pact exists. True to their nature, dogs never break this pact. It is always humans that do so, through the dark nature that resides within. If ever a dog has acted viciously, it is only as a result of negative conditioning by a vicious human.

The special bond between human and dog is occasionally compromised by stray individuals, simply because cruelty exists in some individuals of society, no matter which society is concerned. However, in Islamic countries, and namely Iran, the cruelty goes beyond the occasional disturbed individual. It has been adopted because of Islamic superstition and general Taazi sadism. The ignorance of this attitude has undermined the welfare of man’s best friend on a wholesale basis, where eradication and cruelty to dogs is widespread. It is incumbent on us to oppose such cruelty that stems from superstition, as is so often the case with religion, and especially Islam. It is time for Iranians, and in fact all humans, to recall why dogs have been our best friends, and the loving pact that exists between our species. A better fulfillment of both species will then follow. After all, the love of a friend, whether it is from a human or an animal, is one of the sweetest indulgences of living.

I will now refer you to an article about a true story of a particular dog’s reminder of that love. It is the story of the loyal devotion of a policeman’s dog, named Bobby:




http://www.petstylist.com/ForPetOwners/Grayfriar.htm








THE LEGEND OF GRAYFRIAR'S BOBBY


Many years ago, there lived a special dog, a Kyleakin Skye Terrier named Bobby, who was the embodiment of devotion and undying love. His best friend and master, John Grey, was a policeman in Edinburgh, Scotland, with whom Bobby would walk his rounds every day. The two were inseparable and familiar figures in Edinburgh.

When John died in 1858, he was buried at the Grayfriar's churchyard. His faithful dog Bobby followed the funeral procession and then lingered at John's gravesite, choosing to remain at his master's side to watch over him. The town's efforts to provide him with a new and permanent home proved to be futile, as Bobby would sit day and night, through all the seasons, guarding his beloved master's grave. A man named James Brown, who was the caretaker for the Grayfriar's cemetery at the time, bent the rules and allowed Bobby to stay. Furthermore, when the weather got bad, he would coax him inside to warm up at the fireplace.

As the years went by, Bobby began to leave his master's side on a daily basis to walk with another policeman, a Sergeant Scott. This Sergeant trained him to respond to the town's cannon that was fired once a day at exactly 1pm, so that the town knew the correct time and more importantly, Bobby would know it was lunchtime. He would then head over to Trail's Coffee House where he was fed daily by John Trail. The coffee house is still there to this day, only now it is known as Grayfriar's Bobby Pub in honor of it's most loyal patron.

In 1867, Bobby's life of freedom was almost ended because of a new law that stated all dogs must have a license. The purpose of this new law was to get rid of all the stray dogs, which were viewed as a pestilence. Bobby's future looked grim until William Chambers of the Scottish Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who was also the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, stepped in and paid for the license. The Lord Provost granted Bobby a special collar with a permanent, lifetime license, engraved with the words "Grayfriar's Bobby from Lord Provost, 1867 License", so that he could continue his daily rounds and vigilant watch over his friend and master.

Bobby went to join John on January 14, 1872 at the ripe age of 16 and was buried just outside the cemetery where his master lies. In 1873, the Baroness Burdett-Couttes immortalized Bobby with a statue erected outside the gate of the Grayfriar's churchyard where he spent his life. This memorial was designed as a fountain with cups for people and a lower trough for dogs to drink out of, thus uniting dogs and humans. The Dog Aid Society also erected a stone memorial on Bobby's presumed burial site. As the years have passed, several books, articles and even movies have been made about this remarkable dog and his touching story. Bobby's memorials have become a favorite spot, a reminder to visitors from around the world and all walks of life, of the devotion and love of one small dog. There is an inscription on the stone memorial that expresses best why this one little dog is loved and admired so much. It simply reads, "Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all".
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I am Dariush the Great King, King of Kings, King of countries containing all kinds of men, King in this great earth far and wide, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenian, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, having Aryan lineage

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PostPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 11:09 pm    Post subject: Let Dogs Loyalty and Devotion Be A Lesson To Us All Reply with quote

Thank you Amir Jan for your Educational post.
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