A 140-year-old plaster prototype used to create a popular bronze statue of loyal terrier Greyfriars Bobby is expected to fetch £1,000 at auction.
The legendary dog is said to have guarded his master's grave in Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard in the mid-19th century. He was immortalised in bronze in nearby Candlemaker Row in 1872, and his statue remains a popular tourist attraction.
Auctioneer Lyon & Turnbull has acquired the plaster model which was made for demonstration to Edinburgh Council before the finished statue was created.
The model was gifted to Chief Constable William Merrilees of the then Lothian & Peebles Constabulary by the company which cast the bronze after he volunteered to scout for locations for the 1961 Disney film Greyfriars Bobby.
When filming ended Walt Disney gave Mr Merrilees the dog, who was also named Wee Bobby, that portrayed Bobby in film.
Wee Bobby paid regular visits to the special needs children at Trinity Lodge in Edinburgh, as well as appearing at various charity events to help raise funds for good causes.
He was also joint best man at Mr Merrilees wedding in 1968.
Mr Merrilees's granddaughter Margaret Cumming is selling the model at Lyon & Turnbull's auction house in Edinburgh on Saturday, alongside a framed hand-tinted Victorian photograph depicting a female with a dog purported to be the real Greyfriars Bobby.
"Wee Bobby had a very special place in our family, and the statue is a happy reminder of him, but in the future I will not have space to keep him. So, sadly, I need to let it go.
"Although I would like it to stay in Scotland, I realise this may not be possible."
