Giro was a

terrier Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...

dog, or according to some accounts, a

German shepherd The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for he ...

that belonged to the German ambassador to the United Kingdom,

Leopold von Hoesch Leopold von Hoesch (10 June 1881 – 10 April 1936) was a career German diplomat. Hoesch began his political career in France as the ''chargé d'affaires'' in 1923. After the recall of the German ambassador in 1923 after the Ruhr crisis, Hoesch ...

. Giro died in 1934 after chewing through some electrical cable and was buried in the garden of the former German embassy at 9

Carlton House Terrace Carlton House Terrace is a street in the St James's district of the City of Westminster in London. Its principal architectural feature is a pair of terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's ...

. Giro's owner died of a heart attack in April 1936 and his body was ceremonially returned to Germany. Giro's tombstone was moved in the late 1960s to its present location following building work. It has been described as Britain's only Nazi memorial. Flowers are put on Giro's tombstone every February.

Gravestone text

"Giro" Ein Treuer Begleiter London Im Februar 1934 Hoesch. EN: "Giro" A faithful companion! London in February 1934. Hoesch.

References

{{Reflist 1934 animal deaths German expatriates in England Individual dogs St James's