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A new statue honouring Wallace, a dog adopted by Glasgow’s Fire Brigade in 1894, was unveiled at Glasgow’s Central Station on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Wallace was said to be more widely known in his own time than Edinburgh’s famous Greyfriars Bobby, drawing crowds who came specifically to watch him work.
Wallace accompanied Glasgow fire engines on calls, guiding horse drawn appliances to fires and reportedly helping locate people trapped in buildings, along with injured firemen. He even had his own set of protective boots made to shield his paws from burning debris and sharp cobblestones. When he died in 1902, the bond he’d built with the brigade ran deep enough that firefighters had him embalmed rather than simply letting his story fade. He has remained on permanent display ever since at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Heritage Centre and Museum in Greenock.
The push for a Glasgow memorial was led by local resident Jean Dallas, who felt his story deserved to be told prominently in the city where he actually worked, rather than only at the museum in Greenock. She shared Wallace’s story with children at Saracen Primary School as part of the fundraising effort, with support from social landlord ng homes and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The statue itself was created by individuals in the custody of HMP Barlinnie, according to prison governor Mick Stoney, who called it a testament to their skill and dedication.
Lord Provost of Glasgow, Councillor Jacqueline McLaren, officially unveiled the sculpture. “Wallace the Fire Dog holds a special place in Glasgow’s history, and I am delighted to welcome this wonderful sculpture of him to the heart of our city,” she said. “Today’s unveiling celebrates not only a much-loved local character, but the community spirit and collaboration by a range of partners that has brought his story to life for a new generation.”
My thoughts: What stands out about Wallace’s story is how much of it reads as a direct precursor to something we now take for granted, trained dogs working alongside emergency responders. More than a century before modern search and rescue K9 units, Glasgow firefighters had already built exactly that kind of partnership with an animal they trusted enough to bring boots for, and grieved enough to have preserved rather than simply move on from. It says something that it took a community campaign, decades later, to give him a permanent public memorial in the city he actually served, rather than leaving his story contained to a museum case in a different town.
Source: Glasgow World / Scottish Housing News / Scottish Fire Brigades Heritage Trust
