Thursday, July 28, 2011

In defense of dog's name

A small tombstone in the very heart of London marking the grave of German ambassador's pet Giro is much more famous than could be expected. Buried beneath a tree near the massive Duke of York column, the Alsatian died in the accident in 1934 is usually called "Giro the Nazi dog".

Which is not true.

Actually, I used to refer to that grave as "the Nazi dog" as well until today I learned that Giro's master Leopold von Hoesch was actually the last ambassador of Weimar republic in UK. After Hitler had seized the power, he despised the new government's decisions and denounced the invasion of the Rhineland. His funeral in 1936 are indeed known as "the Nazi funeral" but it's hard to blame von Hoesch for that as he attended the ceremony being dead.

And by that moment poor slandered Giro had been dead for two years already. So let's remember that next time showing his grave to our friends visiting the city.

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