Newstead Abbey fell out badly. In 1808, Lord Grey left at the end of his lease and Byron returned to live at Newstead and began extensive and expensive renovations. His works were mainly decorative, however, rather than structural, so that rain and damp obscured his changes within just a few years. Byron had a beloved Newfoundland dog named Boatswain, who died of rabies in 1808. Boatswain was buried at Newstead Abbey and has a monument larger than his master's. The inscription, from Byron's poem "Epitaph to a Dog", has become one of his best-known works: Near this Spot Are deposited the Remains
Lad, A Dog into a series of 48 page picture books with illustration by Don Bolognese. The first book, "Lad, a Dog: Lad to the Rescue", was released in August 1997 and adapts the story of Lad saving the baby from a venomous snake. The next two, "Lad, a Dog: Best Dog in the World" (December 1997) and "Lad, a Dog: Lad is Lost" (February 1998) focus on Lad's first dog show and subsequently becoming lost. The final book, "Lad, a Dog: The Bad Puppy", released in May 1998, details Lad's raising of Wolf. In the 1960s, Warner Brothers purchased the film rights