Mural of the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home is the main shelter for abandoned and vulnerable pets in the Scottish capital. Originally established in 1884, the EDCH is one of the city’s oldest shelters. In 1957, the shelter was moved to its current Seafield location. The once-industrial neighborhoods of Seafield and Portobello are part of Edinburgh’s coastline. Today, the zone is the focus of the city’s Shoreline Project, an effort to revitalize the once-struggling neighborhood. 

Sponsored by the Shoreline Project, this mural was created with the help of the local community to try and help change Seafield’s image. The colorful mural is painted on wooden boards attached to the sea-facing wall of the EDCH. The street art studio N_Name painted the mural and invited the residents of Seafield to help design certain elements in the mural. 

To pay tribute to the shelter’s name, a dog and cat are featured in the mural alongside marine animals such as a dolphin and jellyfish. The famous Portobello bottle kilns and other beach imagery, such as a sand castle, lifesaver buoys, and a swimming flag, are also portrayed in the mural. The 80-foot-long mural went up on April 26, 2019, and has fortunately managed to avoid graffiti tags.

The charming images of the long sausage dog having fun at the beach along with other, quirky creatures, like a big-eyed fish and what might be a Studio Ghibli version of a sea urchin, all make for a fun artwork that is worth taking a look at.