Famous Dog, Fido: an Example of Fidelity
All over the world you can find tales of devoted dogs that remained loyal to their masters even past death: Hachiko, Greyfriars Bobby, and today’s famous dog, Fido.
Early years
A Fateful Rescue in Tuscany
Like many legendary tales of loyalty, Fido’s story began humbly. He started his life as a nameless stray puppy, wandering the streets of Luco di Mugello, a small village in Tuscany, Italy.
On a freezing, dark November night in 1941, his luck finally changed. Carlo Soriani, a laborer returning home from a grueling shift at a local brick kiln, heard a faint sound in the distance. When he investigated, he found the small, black-and-white pup lying in a roadside ditch—badly injured, completely alone, and yelping in pain.
Unable to leave the unwanted dog to suffer in the cold, Carlo scooped him up and carried him home. Over the following weeks, Carlo and his wife devoted themselves to the pup, providing a warm bed and tenderly nursing him back to full health. Touched by the dog’s growing devotion, they decided to call him Fido, a name meaning “faithful.” It was a beautiful choice that would soon become a lifelong prophecy.
The faithful dog
A Display of Unwavering Loyalty
Once he had fully recovered, Fido repaid Carlo’s kindness with an extraordinary display of devotion. Every morning, the dog would proudly trot alongside his master, escorting him all the way to the town’s central square. When Carlo boarded the bus for work, Fido refused to return to the empty house. Instead, the faithful hound stayed right there in the square, waiting patiently through the long hours of the day.
As evening approached, Fido’s nose would twitch, eagerly searching the air for his master’s familiar scent. The moment the evening bus finally pulled in and Carlo stepped off, Fido would rush forward in a joyful frenzy to greet him. Reunited, the two would happily walk the rest of the way home together to share dinner.
This heartwarming daily ritual continued unbroken for two beautiful years—until sudden tragedy struck.
The tragedy
Italy suffered under the bombardments of the Allied Forces during the Second World War. Citizens were often at risk of injury or death from aerial bombings. On December 30th 1943, a violent bombardment struck Borgo San Lorenzo, destroying several factories and leaving many injured or dead. That evening, Fido waited for his master, but little did he know that Carlo Soriani had been killed in the bombardment that day. Soriani had departed on his final voyage, from which he could never return.
Like so many faithful dogs before and after him, Fido continued to wait for his master. For the next fourteen years, Fido walked to the bus stop, waiting for Soriani, sniffing the air and wagging his tail, waiting and hoping.
Fido eventually caught the attention of the media, and publications such as La Nazione, Gente, Grand Hotel. Even Time magazine published the dog’s story. The tale of loyalty touched the hearts of many, and on 9th November 1957, the mayor of Borgo San Lorenzo awarded the dog a gold medal. The medal was presented in the town hall, with many citizens attending, including Soriani’s widow, and of course Fido himself.
Statue of loyalty
The Commune of the town also commissioned and statue and plaque as a testimony to the faithful dog. The original statue was made of majolica, but vandals destroyed it. The Commune commission a replacement, which was cast from bronze, and sculpted by Salvatore Cipilla.
Fido waited daily for his master until his death in the summer 1958. He was lying by the side of the road, still waiting. He was buried outside the local cemetery, not far from his dearest friend and companion Carlo Soriani.
The bronze statue of Fido can still be found in Borgo San Lorenzo, along with the plaque that reads: A Fido, Esempio di Fedeleta (To Fido, An Example of Fidelity).
