Bummer and Lazarus were two stray dogs that roamed the
streets , in the early 1860's. 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.
Their ratting talent and unique bond was seized upon by
the city's press. Martin's saloon was a favorite haunt of newspapermen and
journalists, so, with the dogs a fixture outside the bar, they never had to
travel far for a story. The exploits of the dogs were recorded in detail in the
Californian, Daily Alta California, Daily Morning Call and Daily Evening
Bulletin,
The two dogs had the run of the streets, and when, on
June 14, 1862, Lazarus was taken by a new dog catcher, a mob of angry citizens
demanded his release, petitioning to have the pair declared city property so
they could wander the streets unmolested. The city supervisors released Lazarus
and declared he and Bummer were exempt from the city ordinance against strays.
The two dogs were sometimes seen in the company of the
eccentric Joshua Norton, "Emperor of the United States", and a
popular legend made him their owner, though it seems he was reluctant to take
the title.
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