Meet "Bum," San Diego's OG dog
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Bum, the very best dog. Photo: Courtesy of the City of San Diego
In 1887, a stowaway Saint Bernard puppy mix arrived on the streets of San Diego and quickly captured the city's heart.
Why it matters: The dog, unfortunately dubbed "Bum," was anything but to those San Diegans, and he became the city's unofficial mascot.
Flashback: After Bum's grand entrance aboard a steamer from San Francisco, he roamed about and was welcomed everywhere, according to San Diego City Clerk Diana Fuentes.
- Restaurants and meat markets fed him and sometimes hung signs in their windows reading "Bum Eats Here."
- At one point, Bum even took the train to LA for a couple of days, according to a 1986 proclamation honoring the pooch.
- "He was very well known for coming into City Hall at the time, and he would actually come in and just lay down during board meetings," Fuentes told Axios.
Bum led most parades, accompanied fire engines to fires, rode the trolley, and used the judge's chair at the courthouse as a nap spot.
- He'd also let children ride on his back.
- It's surprising he wasn't elected mayor.
Friction point: Bum was hit by a train and had a leg amputated, but continued to be the most popular pup in town.
Catch up quick: Bum is commemorated in many ways, including the 1960 children's book "A Dog Called Bum" and a statue outside the Davis-Horton House on Island Avenue.
That city proclamation from 1986 provides further details on the trials and tribulations of your new favorite dog:
- "Although Bum became addicted to alcohol after some cruel men forced him to drink liquor," his caretaker, a fisherman named Ah Wo Sue, helped get him "on the wagon for life."
All dogs go to heaven: Bum died in 1897, 10 years after his arrival here, and was "crippled with rheumatism."
- But the city rescued him and he spent his final days at "the County Poor Farm," according to the proclamation.
- San Diego children collected pennies for Bum, and he was honored with a large public funeral.
"All San Diegans are encouraged to recall with fondness the feeling of hometown pride and togetherness that Bum, our town dog, helped create," the proclamation states.
🥲 Good boy.
What other famous San Diego pets must our readers know about? Email us at [email protected].