A little bit of San Francisco history for you today. Most Bay Area folk have heard of eccentric 19th century SF resident Joshua A. Norton, the self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States, but how many of you know about his closest dog pals, Bummer and Lazarus, two “mongrels” who were famous in their own right. I learned a little about them while listening to an old podcast episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class on Emperor Norton, and was pleased as punch to find out these interesting tidbits about his two famous San Francisco canines.Bummer and Lazarus first gained fame in the 1860s. It was said the two stray dogs met on the street when Bummer stepped in and protected Lazarus during a dog fight. Bummer was a black and white Newfoundland with a severe underbite. I can’t seem to find any description of what Lazarus looked like, but the Stuff You Missed in History Class episode mentioned that he was a smaller “mangy” dog (whether they meant literally mangy or not, I’m not sure). In any case, after Bummer saved Lazarus, the two were inseparable. The two gained fame and respect from San Franciscans for being expert rat catchers and were so  well-loved that they were exempted from the leash/muzzle laws in Downtown SF. They were allowed to roam free and unfettered. According to Mark Derr in A Dog’s History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent, when one day Lazarus was caught by a dog catcher, outraged citizens banded together and paid for his release.

Whether or not they were Emperor Norton’s pets is a point that many historians like to bring up. It seems that the dogs were not actually owned by anyone, but many people associate the two dogs with Norton, and some claim that the three characters were often seen roaming the streets of San Francisco together (and maybe even dining and attending the theatre together).

Lazarus died in October 1863. The reason of his death is also contested. Some say he was trampled by a fire department horse, but others report that he may have been poisoned with ratbait after possibly biting a child. Whatever happened, the Daily Evening Bulletin ran an obituary for the well-loved dog called “Lament for Lazarus.”

In 1865, Bummer died “after being savagely kicked by a drunk.” A young Mark Twain wrote his obituary, titled Exit “Bummer.”

Both Lazarus and Bummer were taxidermied and put on display in two saloons that they often frequented. In 1906 the skins were donated to the Golden Gate Park Museum (now known as the deYoung Museum) where they were stored until 1910, when they were destroyed (Nooooo! Too bad Paxton’s Gate wasn’t around back then!). Although the remains of the two famous SF dogs are no longer around, you can see a plaque memorializing them that’s installed at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid.

(Images via San Francisco Memoirs, WikiMedia Commons, and Neil on Flickr.)

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