Description of the attraction
The most touching monument in Togliatti, which has become an urban legend, is located on the Southern Highway in the Avtozavodsky District. On a granite pedestal stands a one and a half meter bronze sculpture of a German Shepherd, whose boundless devotion still touches the hearts of millions of motorists. The author of the monument, opened on June 1, 2003 (the day of the city), is the Ulyanovsk sculptor Oleg Klyuev. The money for the creation of the monument mainly came from donations from ordinary citizens and patrons of the arts.
The history of the monument began with an accident in 1995, when a young couple (the owners of the dog) died at the intersection of Yuzhnoye Highway and L. Yashin Streets. The dog thrown out during an accident remained alive, and for seven years waited for its owners, peering into every passing car in the place where he saw them alive for the last time. During this time, they tried to take the dog home and tame it more than once, but the shepherd dog returned to its place in any weather, becoming an urban legend during its lifetime, and accepted only food from sympathetic citizens. In 2002, the dog was found dead in the forest, and rumors spread around the city about an unwary truck driver who knocked down and took the dog into the forest to hide the evidence, frightened by the anger of people. But traces of a violent death were not found, apparently, "Verny", as the local newspapers called him, simply left, feeling the approach of death.
In memory of the devoted dog, at first, they erected a memorial shield with the words - "The dog who taught us to love", and a year later - a monument. Nowadays, the sculpture of a faithful dog is a symbol of indestructible devotion and almost a must-see place for newlyweds and guests of the city.
