Bobbie set out on a road trip with his humans but after losing his way in Iowa, the dog achieved a feat that people talk about even after decades.
A mixed-breed dog named Bobbie, also known as “Wonder Dog,” grabbed headlines and left everyone surprised in 1924 for achieving an unbelievable feat. After he was lost in a foreign country, he did his best and walked more than 3000 miles across the Rockies to reach home to his owners. How the dog managed to do it is still surprising to many. Even after a century, his story pops up now and then in conversations about pets and their love for their humans.
According to Anchorage Daily News, in August 1923, Bobbie and his owners Frank and Elizabeth Brazier drove from Oregon to the Midwest on the nation's "auto trails." Each night, the couple would stop at a tourist camp and unpack for the night before repacking and moving on the next day. Bobbie made the trip much more fun and happy for the couple. He traveled the distance resting on the luggage and taking in the sights and smells. The collie would entertain himself by chasing after rabbits and going for a run.
No matter how far Bobbie went, he would always find his way back to the Braziers and hop into the car as Frank slowed down for him. Bobbie followed the same routine across the rocky mountain passes, the Great Plains, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. When the couple finally reached Indiana, things took an unexpected turn.
The couple came to their relatives' house in Indiana and as they were done greeting everyone, Frank decided to get to the gas station and called for Bobbie to accompany him. At the gas station, the dog stepped down to roam around and Frank soon saw him getting chased by a pack of snarling dogs. However, he knew that Bobbie could find his way out of trouble. Eventually when it was time to leave, Frank called out for Bobbie but the dog was nowhere in sight. Thinking that Bobbie must have gone back home, Frank left.
But to his surprise, the dog wasn't there. The couple drove around town and put an ad in the newspaper but to no avail. They had to start traveling again as they had promised to see other relatives elsewhere. Their relatives told them that the dog would probably come to the house and they would keep him for them. The couple was quite worried but still decided to keep going. When they returned to Iowa a month later, the dog still hadn't returned.
Elizabeth Brazier hoped that the dog was alright. The couple returned home sans their pet with a heavy heart. However, what they didn't know was that their dog had not actually been lost and hadn't been adopted either (even though many tried).
The dog had decided to walk back to Oregon facing several challenges, including crossing the Rockies. Several people fed him on his way but he never stayed at a place for too long. Eventually, six months after he had disappeared, he came back home weak and limping. The dog had found his way back and ran over to a sleeping Frank. He cried and howled until Frank woke up and refused to leave his side the entire day.
A local newspaper, Silverton Appeal, published Bobbie's heroic story and it quickly spread across the country. Letters poured out from people wanting to listen to Bobbie's story and from people who had fed and sheltered him. People called him "Bobbie, the Wonder Dog." Frank wrote his story in the book, "Animal Pals." He also went on to star in several movies and eventually, died in 1927.
Share on Facebook
