June 15

Bum the Dog: San Diego’s Famous Town Dog

By Jake

Bum, San Diego’s Town Dog.

Did you know that one of San Diego’s MOST famous “celebrities” had four legs and a tail?! I had no idea that San Diego even had a town dog until my Grandma and my Mom told me about “Bum the Dog”!

When I heard that San Diego had a famous town dog, I wanted to find out more about “Bum” and what made this Half-St. Bernard/Half-Spaniel dog an important historical figure in San Diego’s history!

I wondered…how did Bum get to San Diego? How did he get the name “Bum” & what made him become so famous? Is there a memorial to Bum in San Diego? I had SO many questions that I decided I needed to do some investigative research to find out all the answers… and share them with… Y-o-u!

I was surprised to discover that Bum arrived in San Diego as a…stowaway! Bum was a stowaway aboard a steamship called the Santa Rosa. He traveled on this steamship all the way from San Francisco to San Diego way back in 1886! I couldn’t believe it! This was proof that Bum was a very adventurous, independent, and brave dog.

I also found out that Bum even had a couple books written about him! In the book: The Dog That Belonged to No One, the author Gerald A. Schiller wrote about how Bum got his name. I read about how Bum liked to hang out with the local “newsboys” (the town boys who sold newspapers on the streets of downtown San Diego).

In this story about Bum, the author wrote that one of these newsboys said:

“Well, I’ll be darned. You don’t seem to need my help in bummin’ some food – or maybe stealin’ it. Hey, there’s a name I can call ya. Bum. You’re just a bum, with no home or owner. But ya sure can bum food if ya need it, I guess. Then I think I’ll call you Bum!”

Also according to the journalist Richard Schulte, “His name suited him because he arrived as a town stowaway, befriended everyone and “bummed” quality food from the local eateries.” (Can you believe that some restaurants even put up signs in their windows that said: “Bum Eats Here”!?)

So, that was how Bum got his name, and it stuck with him his whole life! From that moment, he was forever “Bum”.

The townspeople of San Diego adopted Bum and he became San Diego’s first (and only!) town dog!  Bum enjoyed many adventures during his life in San Diego. Some of his adventures included racing along with the horse drawn fire engines on the way to a fire, traveling by himself to Los Angeles and back to San Diego by train, officiating at town parades, and even greeting visiting dignitaries, such as U.S. President Benjamin Harrison! Bum even survived being hit by a train while he was fighting another dog on the train tracks! (Sadly though, Bum lost his right forepaw and part of his tail in this fight.)

Bum also survived a serious injury, after he was kicked by a horse!

When I visited the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House, I found the special memorial to Bum, and also a lot of interesting facts about Bum!

I found out that Bum was so beloved by the citizens of San Diego that the city gave him a lifetime dog tag…Bum didn’t ever have to pay a dog license tax!

Bum was also declared “San Diego’s Official Town Dog”, and they even put his picture on “Dog Tax Receipts” of 1891.

When I was reading the plaque about Bum that is located next to the statue of Bum in the pocket park next to the museum, I noticed that pennies were left on the plaque and I wondered why. The lady at the museum told me that the pennies were symbolic of when Bum died on November 10, 1898, and the children of San Diego collected pennies for a proper funeral for Bum.

(I also left my own pennies for Bum on the lower left corner of the plaque!)

She told me that although Bum’s actual grave is not really known, this memorial statue of him is the first memorial to a historic animal in the State of California!

Bum was a remarkable street dog who won the heart of San Diego. Bum’s personality, survival skills, and independence brought San Diego together.

It’s no wonder that Bum the dog became San Diego’s famous first (and only!) town dog!  Make sure to visit the memorial to “Bum the Dog” the next time you visit the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego…and remember to leave a penny for Bum!

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Posted June 15, 2017 by Mrs. McKelvey in category Animals, Community, History, Student Posts

About the Author

Hello my name is Karen McKelvey and I am a 3rd grade teacher at Curie Elementary School in San Diego, California. I began teaching at Curie Elementary in 2002. I feel fortunate to be part of such a great community. I love blogging with my students as it provides them with an authentic audience for their work. Collaborative group work and project-based learning are key components of my classroom. I completed my Masters degree in Educational Technology from San Diego State University in 2010. Many of the concepts/pedagogy and technologies I learned about in this program, like learning management systems, Google tools, and blogs are implemented in my classroom. Technology plays a key role in the learning that occurs in our classroom. We don’t learn about technology, we learn with technology. Students are engaged in activities that incorporate writing, research skills, critical and creative thinking skills, and much more on a daily basis.

5 thoughts on “Bum the Dog: San Diego’s Famous Town Dog

  1. aubrey419296

    Dear Jake,
    I like the way you told the main idea’s in a different’s sections and not all together in one paragraph. And I like the way that you told us where we can see Bum. I didn’t know there was a town dog for San Diego.
    From,
    Aubrey

    Reply
  2. Devin

    Dear Jake,
    Good job Jake, I learned so much about Bum the dog and all the details you added. I liked the information about how Bum roamed around town begging for food.

    From,
    Devin

    Reply
  3. Mrs. McKelvey (Post author)

    Jake,
    I can’t believe Bum was a stowaway! I think it’s cute how he wandered around begging for scraps. I’ll have to visit his monument when I’m downtown next time.
    From,
    Mrs. McKelvey

    Reply
  4. Richard Schulte

    Wow! I was doing a Google search when I saw my name on this blog! Thanks for visiting my website https://coolsandiegosights.com and learning about Bum! I had fun learning about him, too! I’m not really a journalist, just a guy who lives in downtown San Diego who likes blogging. It’s a lot of fun!

    Reply

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