Today marks the anniversary of the death of Greyfriar's Bobby, undoubtedly one of history's most famous canines.

To commemorate the devoted terrier who tirelessly visited his master's grave year after year, a ceremony has been held in Greyfriar's Kirkyard in Edinburgh hosted by an enthusiast who bears a striking resemblance to the historic hound.

The story is a well-known one; John Gray was working as a police officer in Edinburgh in the 1800s and issued with a Watch Dog, a Skye Terrier who he named, rather appropriately, Bobby.

John died in 1858 and was buried in old Greyfriars Churchyard where, for 14 years, the dead man's faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872.

Legend has it that every day, people would stand at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o'clock gun and the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal.

Today a Bobby lookalike was the star of the show at the service held to mark the anniversary of his death. Blue, from North Berwick, was given the honour of helping to laying a wreath at Bobby's memorial stone.

Stuart Wilson from the One O'Clock Gun Association said: "It's to cheer everybody up. The dog raises a smile, Greyfriar's Bobby himself put a smile on the days when they were clearing the slums for improvement planning in 1867 when it was a very, very dark period of Edinburgh's history and with the credit crunch going on just now, they love the smile it puts on their face when they see the dog, Blue. It's a classic story and up there with Dickens and everybody else, it just brings a smile to your face."

The inscription on Bobby's headstone reads: "Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all" and it is the popularity of this tale of a  dog's dedication to his master that has led so many to keep the story alive today.