Their names were Bummer and Lazarus, and they gained local popularity for their unique bond and enviable rat-killing abilities. At the time, in Los Angeles, dogs outnumbered people nearly two to one. The number of stray and feral dogs did cause problems.
Therefore, they were regularly poisoned or trapped and killed. However Bummer and Lazarus were exempted from this anti-dog sentiment. Bummer was a black-and-white Newfoundland cross who found himself a home outside the saloon of Frederick Martin in 1890 and quickly proved to be an exception rat-killer.
This extremely useful ability of his saved him from being poisoned with a strychinine like Bruno-the previous owner of the territory. In 1861, Bummer rescued another dog from a fight with a larger dog. This dog was badly wounded on his leg, and not expected to leave. Bummer coaxed him to eat and huddled next to him to keep him warm during the night.
The injured dog recovered within days, and this recovery earned him the name Lazarus. The two turned out to be a pair of rat-killing machines. As a team, they could finish off 85 rats in 20 minutes.