The little town of Silverton, Oregon, celebrates the memory of Bobbie the Wonder Dog every year with its annual Pet Parade, sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club. And this year, on May 18, the parade had special significance: the 100th anniversary of the year that Bobbie walked from Indiana to Silverton alone, crossing the Rockies in the dead of winter and appearing, frail and weak, on the main street of town six months to the day after he went missing in Indiana. Newspapers called him the “Love Dog” for his single-mindedness to walk nearly 2,800 miles back to his people. What a reunion that was! You can read his “Believe It or Not!” true story in my book, Bobbie the Wonder Dog.
Bobbie had already passed away in 1932, when the very first Pet Parade took place, led by Bobbie’s son, Pal. Since then, every year local children have decorated wagons and bikes and worn costumes as they carried hamsters and guinea pigs, rode their horses, or walked alongside dogs, goats, alpacas, and pigs. The pet pride is evident on their faces. And, of course, every year, you can see one or two Bobbie lookalikes in the parade.
This year, I received a note from Gail Diedrichsen, a Bobbie fan who volunteers for a collie rescue organization in the Midwest. She also helps with its newsletter, The Collie Nose. Gail traveled all the way to Silverton for the anniversary parade. She wanted to make it the best parade ever for some of those kids and their pets, donating four copies of my book, plus a trophy and ribbon, as prizes. Gail herself even dressed like Bobbie and was photographed with a couple of Bobbie lookalikes. She inspired me to look into another trip to Silverton. I’m ready to see that wonderful little town again. Maybe for February 18, the day Bobbie came home.
