Italian Dog Names

A world-wide known Italian dog is Fido, a half Pointer that belonged to Carlo Soriani. It was on a winter day in 1941, during World War II, when Carlo Soriani, a brick kiln worker, found an injured puppy in the streets of Luco di Mugello, a small town in the Tuscany area. Carlo decided to take the puppy with him. Once Fido was healed, the two became quite close, so Carlo and his wife decided to adopt the dog. The pup was named ‘Fido’, which means ‘faithful’.

Fido looked like a hound, and his coat was white with black patches. When he fully recovered, he started following his owner to the bus stop in the central square, where Carlo took the bus to go to work. Fido would wait there until Carlo returned, ignoring everyone else, but getting utterly excited when he finally saw his owner, and then they would return home together. This became Fido’s ritual and it took place for two years.

In 1943, the factories of Borgo San Lorenzo where Carlo worked were bombed. Carlo Soriani did not survive. Fido was of course, waiting for Carlo in the central square, but his owner never returned. Later that night, Fido went back home but the next afternoon, he returned to the bus stop to wait for Carlo. He did this for 14 years!

In 1953 the story of Fido was shared in La Nazione, a national Italian newspaper. After this, the story became well known throughout Europe.

Three years later, the municipality of Borgo San Lorenzo, Fido’s home, had the sculptor Salvatore Cipolla build a monument of Fido as an acknowledgement of his true loyalty and love. The bronze statue is located in Piazza Dante and the dedication reads “A Fido, esempio di fedeltà” (To Fido, example of loyalty). Fido and Carlo Soriani’s wife were present during the monument’s inauguration. Fido also was also awarded with a gold medal in a special ceremony at City Hall, in November of 1957. Fido died at 17 years old, in June of 1958. The dog was buried outside of the cemetery where his owner was buried.