The Irish Terrier famously known as Vivisected Jack rose to fame after disappearing for six weeks only to return walking on three legs and with a collar bearing the words “Surgical Department”.

The owner initially believed Jack had been injured and had been kindly treated, however an advertisement appeared in a local paper which offered a reward in return for the recovery of “a lost Irish terrier dog, slightly lame in right fore leg” posted by “Surgical Laboratory, New University.”

Inquiries were made and it transpired that the surgery had bought Jack for a small sum believing he was homeless, and the bones in his leg had then been separated, a metal plate inserted and fixed together with screws. After five weeks confinement, Jack managed to jump out of the high stall he was held in and run home.

The university assured the owners that Jack would soon recover, and apologised for the mistake, however it is noted in the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch that a week later jack was still “dull and tired looking – a different dog altogether from the “brainy” and lively canine that used to romp about in the Comely Bank district.”

Photo © OneKind