TL,DR – tourists rubbing his nose for luck. Because I hate it when websites have clickbaity titles and make you read through a whole load of irrelevancies before giving you the story. 

I’ve always been very happy with this photo of the Greyfriars Bobby statue, photographed in 2006. Look closely at Bobby’s nose, and compare it with this photo taken almost 20 years later in 2025. Even if we ignore the new paint colour of the pub behind, there’s something clearly amiss with the dog’s nose. Should it really be shiny like that? Well, clearly not. 

When it was erected in 1873, the statue was the typical dark brown/greenish tinge that is common to most bronze statues. Over the decades, the patina has gradually darkened to the black seen in the first photo. And all was well until, sometime, around 2010, visitors started rubbing his nose for luck. And just to be clear, this isn’t a real Edinburgh tradition. It damages the statue and leaves it looking … well … odd. 

From time to time, Edinburgh Council has attempted to restore the statue back to its natural black patina. Invariably, people carry on rubbing his nose and the shiny bronze nose returns. 

Please don’t do this. 

If you’re in the area, be sure to visit Greyfriars Kirkyard, accessed via an alleyway behind the sculpture. You’ll find Bobby’s grave there, marked not only by a modern gravestone, but also by a pile of sticks left there by visitors for Bobby to play with. That’s a much better tradition that I can get behind. 

Read the story of Greyfriars Bobby here. It’s a fabulous slice of Edinburgh’s history.