Bum, San Diego's town dog that few people know about! San Diego has a history of being a pet-friendly city. In the Late 1880's we had a dog called Bum who was a stowaway on a merchant ship from San Francisco and landed in San Diego. Bum was a St Bernard and Spaniel mix. He roamed the streets of San Diego and all the town's people would have him as their very own friend.
Bum was special in many ways by having political sanction, social mobility, and remarkably good with the press. With the public, he symbolized the romance of a vagabond. In Victorian California, Bum would be noticed wherever he roamed. A friendly good-natured personality and sense of camaraderie with the people he encountered made him special to the people of San Diego.
The traditional story of this dog is that Bum was born in San Francisco on July 3rd, 1886, and six months later he finds himself as a stowaway on a Pacific Steam Coastal ship called the Santa Rosa.
This dog would probably have gone unnoticed if it were not for a journalist named James Edward. He arrived in San Diego one month before Bum did, but James took an interest in Bum as he lived a volatile lifestyle during the boom times of 1886-1888 in San Diego.
Bum and James were inseparable and with James's observations of Bum and his interactions with the townspeople, he was able to write a great journal of this dog's life. If you like to read more check out the San Diego Historical Society.
