Robert Burns’s The Twa Dogs is a tale of those who have and those who have not. The sculptor is Sally Matthews. In Burns’s poem, Luath, his beloved collie, has a conversation with a Newfoundland, Caesar, in which they discuss their owners. A social satire on wealth, poverty and class, Burns uses Caesar and Luath to pointedly examine society’s inequalities.

Caesar the gentleman’s dog is going to be sat on the bench looking down at Luath, even though “nae pride had he”. He has a brass collar with a lock and his name engraved on it. Luath is on the ground beneath him, looking keen and faithful.