Bum (dog)

Bum
Bum, possibly in 1895
SpeciesDog (Canis familiaris)
BreedSt. Bernard and Spaniel mix
SexMale
Born(1886-07-03)July 3, 1886
San Francisco, California, US
DiedNovember 10, 1898(1898-11-10) (aged 12)
Known forPopularity and official recognition from the city
ResidenceSan Diego, California, US
Named afterSlang for a street drunk

Bum (July 3, 1886 – November 10, 1898) was a free-ranging dog who lived on the streets of San Diego, California. His friendly reputation gained him significant local popularity. In 1891, the city used his image on its dog licenses, although he was personally exempted from needing one. He became a popular symbol of the city, where a statue of him stands in the Gaslamp Quarter.

Supposedly born in San Francisco on July 3, 1886, Bum stowed away on a ship to reach San Diego in December. While regularly taken in by a man named Ah Wo Sue, he lived much of his life on the streets, leading to his name. A local journalist, James Edward Friend, wrote about Bum, helping build his public popularity.

Within San Diego, Bum was known to travel by streetcar, join parades, give children rides, and sit with a judge in a courthouse. He was able to catch trains and ferries to other locations, although he always returned to San Diego. At one point he began drinking alcohol, although intervention by Ah Wo Sue ended the habit.

Bum has retained popularity in San Diego, being mentioned by Dr. Seuss on what would have been Bum's 100th birthday, and remaining a mascot of the San Diego History Center's kids program. A statue of Bum has also been erected in Edinburgh, San Diego's twin city.

Biography

Bum was possibly a St. Bernard and Spaniel mix.[1] He was supposedly born in San Francisco on July 3, 1886. He stowed away on the Pacific Coast Steamship Company's Santa Rosa on a trip to San Diego in December.[2] One stated date of arrival was Christmas, leading him later to be mentioned as a Christmas gift to San Diego.[3]: 645 

In San Diego, Bum was cared for by a Chinese man named Ah Wo Sue, although he remained a stray.[4]: 461  On August 3, 1887, he reportedly lost part of his front right foot and some of his tail to a train accident while fighting a bulldog, leaving him with three working legs. He stayed with Ah Wo Sue to recover, but later left to again live on the streets.[3]: 646 [4]: 462 

As a stray, Bum came to the attention of a journalist named James Edward Friend, who used Bum's life as a literary device in his writing.[2] Friend may have mixed fact with fantasy in some of his reporting.[5] With a growing public profile, Bum became popular in the city. He became associated with a "romantic vagabond" image, thought to live a friendly and carefree life.[2] He tended to sleep in the middle of busy sidewalks.[3]: 645  Anecdotes of his public popularity include a police officer telling off a shopkeeper for hitting Bum, and a crowd accosting an official trying to take Bum to an animal shelter.[3]: 647–648 

Bum was known for giving rides to children,[6] riding streetcars, running with fire trucks, joining parades, and sitting in the judge's chair at a courthouse. He was often given food from restaurants,[1][4]: 462  and at least one advertised this fact.[2] Despite great friendliness with humans, he did not get on with other dogs, and when fighting would club them with his leg stump.[4]: 462  Some exceptions included a dog named "Toodles", whose death caused Bum to mope, and a puppy Bum rescued from a streetcar rail.[3]: 648  Bum was able to take the train to nearby towns and cities, as far as Los Angeles, before returning. He also sometimes traveled by ferry to the construction site of the Hotel del Coronado.[2][4]: 462 

The name "Bum" comes from slang for a street drunk. Bum often hung around bars, and was reportedly at four years old given alcohol and began to drink regularly. During this period he gained a dishevelled appearance. He was again taken in by Ah Wo Sue, who nursed him back to health.[4]: 462  He remained sober after this, resuming a "Bohemian" life.[7][3]: 649 

In 1891, Friend applied to the San Diego City Council for a lifetime dog tag in recognition of Bum's service in advertising the city. In addition to granting this, the Council began to use an image of Bum on its dog licenses.[2] These were the first dog licenses issued by the city.[8] Bum received a personal exemption from this licensing,[9]: 115  and was by Mayoral Ordinance protected from being taken to an animal shelter.[3]: 648 

On May 22, 1894, Bum's left hind leg was broken by a horse, who either kicked him or stepped on him. His recovery was documented in local papers.[2][3]: 649  Bum eventually developed rheumatism, and began to live in a county hospital. Friend died in March 1898, and Bum died on November 10 that same year.[1][2] While local children raised money for his burial, the burial location is unknown.[1] There are two possible pet cemeteries, and there are rumors he was buried at Balboa Park.[9]: 115 

Legacy

A statue of Bum stands in a pocket park outside a museum in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego.[1][10] In 1986, San Diego resident Dr. Seuss drew a card to commemorate Bum's 100th birthday, featuring The Cat in the Hat.[9]: 124  The San Diego History Center uses Bum as the mascot of its kids club.[11]

San Diego became a twin city of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1978. Edinburgh has its own famous dog, Greyfriars Bobby. In 2007, a statue of Greyfriars Bobby was placed in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. On July 19, 2008, a statue of Bum was installed in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens, on the edge of what was once Greyfriars Bobby's territory.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Bum the town dog to be celebrated at Gaslamp". The San Diego Union-Tribune. November 9, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h William Edward Evans (July 1967). "A Friend Was for Sharing". The Journal of San Diego History. 13 (3).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Millard F. Hudson (1907). "A Dog that was "Different"". In Lute Pease; William Bittle Wells (eds.). The Pacific Monthly, Volume 17. Pacific Monthly Publishing Company. pp. 645–649.
  4. ^ a b c d e f William Ellsworth Smythe (1907). History of San Diego, 1542–1908: An Account of the Rise and Progress of the Pioneer Settlement on the Pacific Coast of the United States, Volume 2. History Company.
  5. ^ Stephen Messenger (January 5, 2014). "The Remarkable Story Of Bum, San Diego's High Society Street Dog". The Dodo. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Dogs take lead as dignitaries gather to see statue of Bum". The Scotsman. July 19, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  7. ^ Herbert Lockwood (2003). San Diego's Hysterical History: Fallout from the Skeleton's Closet. Coda Publications. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-910390-67-5.
  8. ^ Neil Pooran (March 7, 2020). "The charming reason why there's a statue of Greyfriars Bobby in San Diego". Edinburgh Live. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  9. ^ a b c Seth Mallios; David M. Caterino (2007). Cemeteries of San Diego. Arcadia Publishing. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-7385-4714-5.
  10. ^ Diane Bell (July 8, 2015). "Gaslamp dog statues tell their tale". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  11. ^ Dog statue in Gaslamp highlights obscure part of San Diego history (Video). ABC News. October 21, 2019. Event occurs at 2:27. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
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