this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2024
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Bummer and Lazarus were two stray dogs that roamed the streets of San Francisco, California, United States, in the early 1860s. Recognized for their unique bond and their prodigious rat-killing ability, they became a fixture of city newspapers, were exempted from local ordinances, and immortalized in cartoons.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

He died a lingering death in November 1865 after being kicked by a drunk, Henry Rippey. Bummer was still popular enough that, to avoid violence, the city immediately arrested Rippey. He also did not escape popular justice: on learning of his crime, his cellmate, David Popley, "popped him in the smeller".

[–] Rolando 6 points 3 months ago

In Los Angeles in the 1840s, dogs outnumbered people by nearly two to one

Explains all those old-time "dog-catcher" jokes.