In the late 19th century, the capital’s cultural and aristocratic elite shared a café table with an unusual guest. He wore neither a top hat nor a noble title. His passport to high society was sheer self-assurance. Long before the digital age, the streets of Madrid crowned their first four-legged trendsetter: Paco the dog.
From the coffeehouses to the bullring
It all began when this animal was wandering down Calle Alcalá. The Marquis of Bogaraya came across him and named him Paco. Thanks to his charisma, he managed to gain access to the exclusive circles of the time. He frequented the salons of the historic Café de Fornos and the Lhardy restaurant daily, where he sat alongside bullfighters, writers, and nobles.
His true passion was bullfighting. Every afternoon of the bullfight, the dog would walk alongside the fans up Calle Alcalá toward the old bullring, located where the Palacio de los Deportes stands today. He had a favorite spot next to row 9. When the bullfight ended, he would go down into the ring to show off a bit, entertaining the crowd with his antics in the arena.
A fatal thrust and his literary legacy
The climax of his story occurred on June 21, 1882. During a bullfight with young bulls, he jumped into the ring as usual. The bullfighter Pepe “el de los Galápagos, “ annoyed by the interruption of his performance, delivered a fatal thrust with his sword. The stands erupted in outrage, and the crowd tried to lynch the bullfighter right there. He died shortly afterward due to the severity of his injuries. His memory left such a deep impression that it gave rise to the saying “you know more than Paco the dog, ” a traditional phrase that has survived the passage of decades.
To immortalize this anecdote, sculptor Rodrigo Romero created a life-size monument in 2023. This bronze figure rests on the pavement of Calle Huertas. Those passing through the Barrio de las Letras may once again come across the silhouette of that incorrigible stray who captured the hearts of an entire era.