Trama

When Lassie's master dies, an old friend tries to convince a judge that the dog's life should be spared.

In Edinburgh in 1860, sheep herder Jock Gray finds a Collie puppy on the loose. When she is unclaimed, he takes her as his own and calls her Lassie. They are soon inseparable but when Jock dies and is buried in an unmarked grave, Lassie takes to sleeping in the churchyard to be near him. Jock's good friend John Traill is prepared to find a good home for Lassie but no matter how hard he tries, she always manages to get away and despite any obstacles put in her way, manages to get back to Jock's grave. It all comes to a head when a local magistrate orders her destroyed for not having a license leading Traill to take his case to a higher court.—garykmcd

Based on the real-life account of Greyfriars Bobby, who remained by his master's grave for fourteen years until his own death. In this takeoff, Lassie as a pup is dumped and then adopted by sheepherder John Grey, who trains her as a working dog. Murdered in the streets of Edinburgh by muggers, Grey is buried in the city churchyard and Lassie won't leave. City law forbids dogs in cemeteries; also, due to legal convolutions of the times, Lassie technically never had a legal owner and must be put to death if none appears. The foolish laws are challenged by church fathers and others sympathetic to the dog's plight. Lovely scenery of the Scottish hill country.—Molly Malloy