The battle is on to save the nose of the wee metal dug, Greyfriars Bobby, with even the Lonely Planet guide book set to lend a hand.

As The National has reported, tourists rubbing ‘for luck’ the statue of the famous dog outside the Greyfriars Kirkyard have worn away the paint protecting Bobby’s nose, and now a campaign begun on social media to warn against the practice has been taken up by publishers.

The new campaign recently launched on Facebook says it all - Save Bobby's Nose, and now, after being approached by Press Association Scotland, Lonely Planet’s publishers have said it will highlight efforts to stop the trend.

A spokesman for the guidebook publisher said: "We don't currently advise travellers that there is any tradition of rubbing the nose for luck, but we'll pass this information on to our editorial team and it will be flagged to the author when we compile the next edition of the relevant guide."

The monument to Bobby, who spent 14 years guarding the grave of his owner John Gray before he himself died in 1872, is Edinburgh's smallest listed building.

Laverne Edmonds, of The Reel Edinburgh Tour, has been urging tourists to keep their hands off Bobby since starting the company in 2015, and has a whistle to stop nose-rubbers in their tracks if caught red-handed.

Ms Edmonds said: "I'm born and bred in Edinburgh and this has only been happening for the last four or five years.

"It's something we've always felt very strongly about, but there's now a real flurry of support.

"We always blow the whistle to get people to take their hands away. It's all a bit of fun but it's actually quite serious for the poor little thing."

A spokeswoman for the City of Edinburgh Council said: "While he enjoys attention from visitors and loves to have his photo taken, Bobby gets distressed when people rub his nose.

"It really does cause damage to the statue, which is why we urge people to be respectful.”