Bobbie the Wonder Dog: the true story of his 2,551-mile trek home

Part 1

Who was Bobbie the wonder dog

Bobbie was a two-year-old Scotch Collie-English Shepherd mix owned by Frank and Elizabeth Brazier of Silverton, Oregon. In August 1923 the family drove from Oregon to visit relatives in Wolcott, Indiana, with Bobbie riding along in their car. They were traveling with their daughters, Leona and Nova, when Bobbie went missing. They were driving a new 1923 Willys-Overland Model 92, on recently connected highways such as the Historic Columbia River Highway. You might picture him trotting alongside the car or riding on its running board, since the speed limit was only about 15 miles per hour. While the family was stopped at a gas station in Wolcott, three dogs chased Bobbie off and he did not come back. After days of searching and a newspaper notice asking for help, the Braziers had to continue their trip and go home without him.

Part 2

The journey home across six months

Six months later, on February 15, 1924, Bobbie walked into Silverton on his own. He had covered roughly 2,551 miles, an average of about 14 miles a day, based on an odometer reading of the route. Ripley's Believe It or Not estimated the total distance may have been as much as 3,000 miles. Some accounts put his total distance at closer to 2,800 or even 3,500 miles. Along the way he crossed rivers and the Continental Divide during the coldest part of winter. If you have ever worried about your own dog getting lost, Bobbie's ordeal shows just how far a determined dog can travel.

When he arrived home he was mangy, thin, and worn down, with his toenails worn nearly to nothing. He had also suffered gashes to his legs and paws along the way.

Part 3

How his route was verified

The Oregon Humane Society was initially skeptical that Bobbie had really walked the whole distance. People who had fed or sheltered him along the route wrote to the Braziers describing their time with him. Using these accounts, investigators pieced together a fairly detailed path, concluding that Bobbie first circled through Indiana seeking the family's scent before heading west. He is reported to have visited the same service stations where the Braziers had parked each night on their outward trip, along with a number of homes and a hobo camp. Some who saw him simply gave him food before he moved on. In Portland, a woman took him in for a time and helped him recover from serious injuries to his legs and paws. You can think of this letter-writing effort as an early version of how people now share lost-dog sightings online.

Part 4

The fame that followed

Newspapers around the world picked up Bobbie's story after he returned home. He was also the subject of Ripley's Believe It or Not, books, and film. In 1924 he played himself in the silent film The Call of the West, though its plot was not based on his real journey. Some letters arrived from as far away as Australia. Bobbie went on to sire a litter of fifteen puppies, all male, before his death in 1927. If your dog has ever gotten a little local attention, Bobbie's welcome was that many times over.

• He received hundreds of letters from fans around the world.
• He was given a jewel-studded harness and collar.
• He was honored with keys to cities.
• At the Portland Home Show, about 40,000 people came to see him, and he received an elaborate doghouse.

Part 5

Bobbie's legacy today

Bobbie died in 1927 and was buried at the Oregon Humane Society's pet cemetery in Portland. The doghouse he received at the Portland Home Show still shelters his grave. Rin Tin Tin, the German Shepherd film star, laid a wreath at his grave. In Silverton, a mural, a statue, and a replica of his doghouse commemorate him downtown. Silverton also holds an annual pet parade in his memory, a tradition that began in 1932. His son Pal led the first pet parade. In 2012, a group in Silverton started a campaign to bring his remains home for reburial. The Brazier family's descendants asked that he remain at the Oregon Humane Society, so the effort shifted to keeping his story alive instead. If you visit either site today, you can see how much his story still means to people there.

Part 6

How Bobbie compares to other loyal dogs in history

Bobbie is remembered for finding his way home.