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Author Topic:   Hachiko: The World's Most Loyal Dog
angel_of_hope
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Posts: 1417
From: Palmer, AK
Registered: Jul 2004

posted April 02, 2008 01:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for angel_of_hope     Edit/Delete Message
I've got tears after reading this one .... talk about tuging at the heart strings ... anyone wanna shed a tear withme? read on ...


Hachiko: The World's Most Loyal Dog
27/03/2008


If you've ever seen the canceled-before-its-time (but now revived!) show Futurama, you'll probably remember Bender, the alcoholic robot; Leela, the beautiful one-eyed captain; and Philip J. Fry, the bumbling pizza delivery boy who was cryogenically frozen for a thousand years before joining the Planet Express intergalactic mail delivery team. But do you remember Fry's loyal, loving dog, who waited for his master until the end of his life? If you didn't think a cartoon character could make you cry, it might be time to reevaluate after you watch this heart-wrenching scene.

Now, of course, Fry's dog never really existed (nor did the murderous Killbots, luckily), and you might scoff at the idea that any canine could really exercise such supreme loyalty. After all, your dog forgets that you're alive whenever your sister stops by bearing bags of Pupperoni. And while it's true that most animals are more loyal to their meals than to their masters, we know of an amazingly faithful dog that could be a real-life counterpart to Fry's ever-loving pooch: Hachiko, an Akita from Tokyo.

Hachiko was brought to Tokyo in 1924 by his owner, a college professor named Hidesamuro Ueno. Each day, when Ueno left for work, Hachiko would stand by the door to watch him go. When the professor came home at 4 o'clock, Hachiko would go to the Shibuya Station to meet him.

Though this simple act alone shows a tremendous amount of loyalty, that's not the end of it: The following year, Ueno died of a stroke while at the university. Hachiko didn't realize that he was gone, and so the dog returned to the train station every single day to await his master. He became such a familiar presence there, in fact, that the station master set out food for the dog and gave him a bed in the station. Even so, Hachiko never shifted loyalties – every day at 4 o'clock, he hopefully waited by the tracks as the train pulled in, searching for his best friend's face among the people getting off.

Hachiko's love for his master impressed many people who passed through the station, including one of Ueno's former students, who became fascinated by the Akita breed after seeing Hachiko. He discovered that there were only 30 Akitas living in Japan, and began to write articles about Hachiko and his remarkable breed, turning the world's most loyal dog into a household name, and creating a resurgence in popularity for the Akita.

Hachiko died in 1935, after 10 long years of waiting for his master. But the dog would not be forgotten – a year before his death, Shibuya Station installed a bronze statue of the aging dog, to honor its mascot. Though the statue was melted down during World War II, a new version was created in 1948 by the son of the original artist. Go to the station now, and you'll be able to see the bronze statue of Hachiko – still waiting, as ever, for his master to come home.

Original story by Kathryn Hawkins

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"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known" ~ Carl Sagan

Cap Sun, Cancer Moon, Cap ASC

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nattie33
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From: USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted April 02, 2008 04:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for nattie33     Edit/Delete Message
Dogs are so loyal and loving.

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Nephthys
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From: California
Registered: Oct 2001

posted April 02, 2008 10:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Nephthys     Edit/Delete Message
Yes I have heard of this story a long time ago! It is awesome and sad that no one could "explain" to the dog what happened to his owner. It is extremely sad. They don't understand. All they know is love.

Jasmine turns 5 years old on April 17, and we have never been separated for longer than one day, and never overnight. Sometimes I close my bedroom door at night, and when I do, she cries and scratches at my door in the morning. She always greets me so happy when I get up in the morning and often brings me a bone, toy, or something.

Whenever we go anywhere, she always is so emotional when we come home that she gets very verbal and whines and cries and her body gets all scrunchy and hyper and jumpy.

Yes, dogs are man's best friend!

Loyal to the last drop!

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Charlotte
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From: USA
Registered: Apr 2004

posted April 02, 2008 10:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Charlotte     Edit/Delete Message
Had to stop and wipe tears away, what a story...

DOG/GOD love is blessing!

:-)
Char

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peace
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Posts: 1059
From: Honolulu,HI
Registered: Apr 2004

posted April 03, 2008 04:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for peace     Edit/Delete Message
Someone should make a short film on this.

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Randall
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From: Columbus, GA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted April 04, 2008 11:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message

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"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." Charles Schultz

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ListensToTrees
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Posts: 3923
From: Infinity
Registered: Jul 2005

posted April 06, 2008 03:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ListensToTrees     Edit/Delete Message
Greyfriar's Bobby:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/GreyfriarsBob.htm

" Man's Best Friend - Greyfriars Bobby

John Gray a gardener, together with his wife Jess and son John arrived in Edinburgh around 1850. Unable to find work as a gardener he avoided the workhouse by joining the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman.

To keep him company through the long winter nights John took on a partner, a diminutive Skye Terrier, his ‘watchdog’ called Bobby. Together John and Bobby became a familiar sight trudging through the old cobbled streets of Edinburgh. Through thick and thin, winter and summer, they were faithful friends.

The years on the streets appear to have taken their toll on John, as he was treated by the Police Surgeon for tuberculosis.

John eventually died of the disease on the 15th February 1858 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Bobby soon touched the hearts of the local residents when he refused to leave his master's grave, even in the worst weather conditions.

The gardener and keeper of Greyfriars tried on many occasions to evict Bobby from the Kirkyard. In the end he gave up and provided a shelter for Bobby by placing sacking beneath two tablestones at the side of John Gray’s grave.

Bobby’s fame spread throughout Edinburgh. It is reported that almost on a daily basis the crowds would gather at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o'clock gun that would signal the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal.

Bobby would follow William Dow, a local joiner and cabinet maker to the same Coffee House that he had frequented with his now dead master, where he was given a meal.

In 1867 a new bye-law was passed that required all dogs to be licensed in the city or they would be destroyed. Sir William Chambers (The Lord Provost of Edinburgh) decided to pay Bobby's licence and presented him with a collar with a brass inscription "Greyfriars Bobby from the Lord Provost 1867 licensed". This can be seen at the Museum of Edinburgh.

The kind folk of Edinburgh took good care of Bobby, but still he remained loyal to his master. For fourteen years the dead man's faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872.

Baroness Angelia Georgina Burdett-Coutts, President of the Ladies Committee of the RSPCA, was so deeply moved by his story that she asked the City Council for permission to erect a granite fountain with a statue of Bobby placed on top.

William Brody sculptured the statue from life, and it was unveiled without ceremony in November 1873, opposite Greyfriars Kirkyard. And it is with that, that Scotland’s Capital city will always remember its most famous and faithful dog

Bobby's headstone reads "Greyfriars Bobby - died 14th January 1872 - aged 16 years - Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all".

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ListensToTrees
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Posts: 3923
From: Infinity
Registered: Jul 2005

posted April 06, 2008 03:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ListensToTrees     Edit/Delete Message
Is it any wonder that dog spells "god" backwards?

Both stories make me feel so

Aawwwwwww!

(Sniff, sniff).

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angel_of_hope
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Posts: 1417
From: Palmer, AK
Registered: Jul 2004

posted April 06, 2008 04:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for angel_of_hope     Edit/Delete Message
Awww is right! Thanks for that story LTT. *sniff* I love the inscription...

quote:
Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all


GOD DOG ... hmmm, if you say it fast enough it sounds like Guard Dog. God Dog!


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ListensToTrees
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Posts: 3923
From: Infinity
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posted April 06, 2008 04:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ListensToTrees     Edit/Delete Message
Good dog.....good god.....god dog

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lechien
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Posts: 1
From: Germany
Registered: Apr 2008

posted April 12, 2008 03:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for lechien     Edit/Delete Message
there is a film made about this dog. i saw it when i was a child. since it's a foreign production from the 80s it maybe hard to get a hold of... but i remember it was very touching with good actors and cinematography, it made me cry too...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093132/

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