GREYFRIAR’S Bobby has been brought back to life – in the ultraviolent world of Grand Theft Auto V.
The Scottish makers of the hit video game have snuck the legendary terrier into the latest version of the hit game.
Eagle-eyed gamers spotted the dog waiting patiently beside a headstone in a graveyard in the fictional US city of Los Santos.
The Skye Terrier sits upright, wagging its tail, in front of a stone with the inscription “In loving memory”.
Edinburgh-based Rockstar North are celebrated for smuggling Scottish references into the franchise. The first version of GTA V included a drug-racked community called Hawick and a stock exchange called the Bawsaq.
The legend of Greyfriar’s Bobby, who was said to have waited at his master’s graveside for 14 years until he died in January 1872, is at odds with the graphic violence, sex and drugs that makes up most of the game.
Bobby was buried at Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, just metres away from his master, and his legend lives on in a number of books, films and a landmark lifesize statue at the end of George IV Bridge, where passersby affectionately rub his nose for good luck.
A video of Bobby was recently uploaded under the title “The saddest thing in Grand Theft Auto V ever”.
The uploader appeared not to be aware of the Scottish legend but it was not long before a fellow gamer observed: “A possible reference to Greyfriar’s Bobby?”
Elsewhere on social media, another gamer observed: “The nose isn’t quite shiny enough.”
That is a reference to the modern habit of rubbing the statue’s nose for good luck, as a result of which the black coating has been removed, showing the shiny metal beneath.
GTA V has sold 45 million copies since its release in September 2013, grossing $1.98bn and earning it the title of the third highest-selling game of all time.
The gaming franchise, which is notorious for allowing users to commit violent rampages, murdering prostitutes and slaying police for monetary gain.
Bobby is thought to have been worked into a recent update of the game for next generation consoles.
Rockstar North’s other references to their homeland also include radio hosts bemoaning a delayed tram system.
Hawick, a peaceful, small town in the Scottish Borders is described as a “druggie hipster” ghetto in the game world of GTA V.
