Greyfriars Bobby: Skye terrier or dandie dinmont terrier, the wonderful story of a dog's devotion is still the same – Angus Robertson MSP

The Edinburgh statue to Greyfriars Bobby is such a beloved landmark that his nose gleams from all of the strokes from fans and visitors.

The Greyfriars Bobby statue in Edinburgh may show the wrong type of dog (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA)

The memorial to the dog that famously remained by his master’s grave in the mid-19th century is as famous a focal point as the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, Statue of Liberty in New York or Michelangelo’s David in Florence.

A Holywood film has been made about him, books have been written about him and countless photos have been taken next to his statue on George IV Bridge.

Now, however, much may have to change with the news that he was a different breed to the Skye terrier he was always thought to be.

According to new research by Crufts dog show judges Mike Macbeth and Paul Keevil, they believe that Bobby was more likely to have been a dandy dinmount terrier, which was a popular breed in Edinburgh during the 1850s.

According to Mike MacBeth: "There have been so many competing stories about Greyfriars Bobby that the truth has faded like the mist on an Edinburgh morning.

"But the more I researched him for our book, The Dandie Dinmont Terrier, the True Story of Scotland's Forgotten Breed, the facts led to only one conclusion: that Greyfriars Bobby had to be a dandie dinmont terrier.”

None of this changes to basic, touching facts of the story for which Greyfriars Bobby has been long remembered: his refusal to leave the graveside of his owner.

Perhaps however the renewed attention will introduce a new generation to the poignant story.

Angus Robertson is the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary