In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we often forget about such simple things as fidelity and a sense of duty. In Togliatti there is one monument of devotion - a monument to a dog, thanks to which the townspeople were able to remember what it means to truly love and wait. This monument has no political connotation and has its own exciting and touching history of occurrence.
Urban legend
All the events, thanks to which the monument of devotion appeared, took place on the southern bypass road passing through the Avtozavodsky district and leading to the automobile factory located near the field. It was there, in 1995, that the townspeople first noticed a sad dog sitting on the side of the road. She was always in the same place and rushed at cars passing by. It was a German shepherd, rumors about which spread throughout the city with lightning speed, after which it became the real property of Tolyatti.
Therefore, local residents, sensing the location of this dog, decided to find out why the dog never leaves this place. As it turned out, it was this year in the summer that a terrible disaster occurred in which two passenger cars collided. In one of them was a shepherd and its owners. The woman died on the spot, and the young man was taken to intensive care, where he later died. Only their dog survived, whose nicknames no one knew. Therefore, local residents began to call him Verny or Konstantin.
Many citizens wanted to take the dog to their home, but all their attempts were in vain. The dog always returned to its place and continued to faithfully wait for its owners. She didn’t leave her post for a moment, and she didn’t let people in especially. In any weather, the dog always sat on the side of the road, and from local residents sympathetic to him he took only food and water. But those who fed him, could not get too close to the shepherd. Therefore, Kostya, as he was affectionately called by people, it was decided to build a booth there, in which he could hide from snow and rain. Togliatti loved the dog very much and turned its history into a real urban legend. Stories about this dog have been published many times in various Russian publications.
How did the monument appear
Seven years later, Konstantin disappeared. A little later, he was discovered in the forest with no signs of life. At first, everyone decided that he was hit by a large truck, and the driver, who was driving this vehicle, was frightened by the anger of the locals. Therefore, I decided to hide it and hide so all the evidence of the crime. But then it turned out that no traces of bruises were found on the dog’s body.
Consequently, he himself went to the forest to die there. Dogs often do this and go far from home, sensing a close approach to their death. They do this so that the owners do not see the moment of their death. So Konstantin went to die away from the road so that he would not be found dead. He thought until the last moment of his life that the owners would definitely return.
This news upset all the Togliatti people, since they had managed to fall in love with the dog all the time. The townspeople decided in memory of this shepherd to establish a memorial plaque not far from the place of the tragedy, which read: "To a dog that showed us real kindness and fidelity." From that moment, the dog became a real symbol of the city.
But such a shield was constantly blown away by strong winds or it was broken by vandals. Then the idea arose to erect a bronze monument of devotion in honor of such a faithful dog. For its construction, 250,000 rubles were needed, which were collected by the whole city. Many local businessmen and ordinary people donated funds to perpetuate the memory of Constantine.
Opening day
The monument of devotion (Tolyatti) was created by the Ulyanovsk sculptor O. Klyuyev. According to the author of this monument, the most difficult thing in this sculpture was to correctly show the character of the dog.
The monument of devotion was inaugurated a year after the death of the dog. This event took place on a warm June day, and was timed to coincide with the celebration of the city’s name day. For some time, the statue was guarded by enhanced security, until by order of the mayor an alarm was made to it.
What does it look like
The monument dedicated to the legendary dog rises about one and a half meters above the ground. The monument of devotion is mounted on a pedestal of granite. The author tried to make it so that all the drivers moving past him thought that the dog was turning his head after their passing cars.
This sculpture is the only one in the whole city, erected not for any state beliefs. Today, the place where the monument of devotion stands in Togliatti is considered a must for visiting newly-made spouses, as it symbolizes unshakable loyalty and love in family life. Therefore, a tradition has already developed in the city according to which all couples of newlyweds who want to live happily ever after each other should, after painting, go to the monument and rub the tip of the dog’s nose. Thanks to this ritual, this part of the monument seems polished.
Where is located
Those who will be in this Russian city and want to see the legendary dog with their own eyes can take a ride to the twenty-first quarter, where the monument of devotion (Tolyatti) is located. A bronze dog stands on Lev Yashin Street in the place where the Southern Highway crosses it, or rather, near the high-rise building at number 25.
Interesting Facts
It turns out that the monument to devotion (Togliatti) has already become famous throughout the whole country. The story of this faithful dog inspired the Russian poetess, the performer of her own works, as well as the rock bard Alexander Pavlov to devote a song to the dog called “Dog Watch”. She even entered the singer’s album and was released in 2012.
This monument has become a real symbol of the city. Few monuments located not only in Togliatti, but throughout the country, boast similar attention to them.