The monument of devotion

THE MONUMENT OF DEVOTION

Grade: 8

School №70

Tsyganova Veronika

In the summer of 1995, a dog, a German Shepherd, appeared in the Avtozavodsky district, on the side of the Southern Highway, one of the busiest streets of Tolyatti. He was constantly at the same place, where thousands of citizens saw him every day.

The residents of the neighboring houses fed him, tried to tame him periodically, they built him a kennel, but he invariably found himself on the side of the road, watching the cars. His nickname was unknown. Therefore, people began to call him "Faithful" or "Constantine" (translated from Latin — "constant").It went on for 7 years. The dog was always in his usual place, regardless of the weather and the time of year. In 2002, the dog died.

• The girl died at this place, and the man was taken to the hospital in serious condition, where he died a couple of hours later. Miraculously, only the dog survived.

• Kind people built a kennel for the dog and even tried to take him home, but no attempt was successful. The dog always came back, looking forward to his owners. In snow and rain, in any weather and season, he was always in his place. He accepted only the food from sympathetic townspeople. In any weather, he constantly waited and ran to all nearby passing cars. Everyone who went to the "new" or "old" city on any business constantly saw Konstantin running by the side of the road or quietly resting on the grass. The townspeople loved Konstantin very much and turned his story into a "living legend".

The most common version, which most citizens adhere to, says that the dog was the only survivor of a car accident.

A more romantic one is that the owners of the dog are newlyweds returning from their honeymoon. The young wife died before the doctors arrived. A few hours later, a man died in intensive care. And the dog remained waiting for him at the place where he was last seen alive. He was waiting for the owner to come. The dog was guarding his master's last resting place. And every day he rushed to the «cherry nines» car: "The owner is back!". It is impossible to establish the authenticity of the legend. There are also less exalted and romantic versions of the reasons for the dog's behavior.

• The monument to the faithful dog Konstantin was opened in 2003. Oleg Klyuev became the sculptor, and the idea was proposed by a schoolgirl Ksenia Naletova. This monument has become a symbol of the devotion.

The monument is a bronze sculpture with a height of just over one and a half meters, placed on a granite pedestal. It was erected in such a way that it seemed to drivers passing along the road that the dog was turning its head after the cars, as if still hoping to see its dead owners.

• People rub the tip of the dog's nose considering it as a tradition for good luck.

At first, a memorial shield was erected in memory of the devoted dog with the words – "To the dog who taught us to love," and a year later - a monument. Nowadays, the sculpture of the faithful dog is a symbol of unbreakable devotion and almost a must-visit place for newlyweds and guests of the city.

THE DEATH OF THE DOG

• In 2002, the dog died. He was found dead in the woods. Rumors spread around the city that Konstantin was hit by a truck, the driver of which, fearing the anger of people, hid his body in the Novogorodsky forest, thereby hiding evidence and evading responsibility. However, no traces of violent death were found, and the rumors remained unconfirmed. Kostya died his own death. Most likely, the dog went into the forest to die there. Konstantin waited for his master until the last second.