The Power of Citizen Journalism
 
News» Top News» Latest News» Post News ($) Blogs» Top Blogs» Latest Blogs» Post Blog» Images» Top Images» Latest Images» Upload Images» TV» Groups» View Groups» Create a Group» Live Events» Alerts» Create an Alert» Manage Alerts» How do I ...» Get paid to report news» Post blogs» Upload images» Embed video» Join/create groups» Vote on news & images» Comment & debate»
 

article imageDog faithfully awaits return of his master for past 11 years

Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Chris V. (cgull) in Lifestyle | 35 comments | 198398 views
Join our team to voice opinions, share images, get paid to report news and more!
Email Print Share
Subscribe to author

Email this article

Recipient email:
Your email:
optional
Message:
optional
Hachiko, an Akita dog in Japan, sets an example for loyalty by waiting patiently for its master’s return from work in a railway station. It did this routine for 11 years every day.
The Akita breed dog, Hachikō was born or November 10, 1923 and died March 8, 1935. It is known in Japanese as 忠犬 ハチ公 (chūken hachikō, lit. 'faithful dog Hachikō'). It is remembered fondly in Japan for its intense loyalty, waiting for its master for more than 11 years.

In 1924, Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by its master Hidesamuro Ueno, a professor in the agricultural department at the University of Tokyo. When Hachiko’s master went to work, it greeted him off at the front door, and when his master came back from work he usually went to the nearest railway station and waited for him there. It used to do this as a routine every day. However, his master died a year later in May 1925, but Hachiko kept this routine and waited for its master at the station for the next 11 years until its death in 1935.

Others at the station initially thought it was waiting for something else or roaming around but later realized it was waiting for its dead master. So the vendors there used to give some bits of food and water for its unwavering loyalty. But others doubted it and said the dog might have come because of the food the vendors gave for it. If so, then the dog could have come at other times also, but appeared only in the evening time, precisely when the train was due at the station.

One of the professor's students was able to document the reason for the dog coming to the station for its master. And the student returned several times over the years and saw the dog appear precisely when the train was due at the station in the evening. He published this fact in one of the Tokyo’s largest newspaper after which the dog became a national figure and everyone were impressed with the loyalty shown by the dog and used it as an example for their children and students to follow.

Soon after a well known artist did a sculpture of the dog which was erected at Shibuya Station and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling. The statue had to be recycled later for World War II. However, they did the sculpture again, and the original artist’s son made the statue of the dog in 1948. This statue has become a popular meeting spot in Japan.
article:218509:89::0
6 subscribers
Subscribe to this thread
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
    #1
    Being a dog lover myself, this story made me want to cry. What a sweet dog.............
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Bocephalus
    #2
    Cute story. Dogs are nothing if not loyal.

    "yo, wasabi, you gotta see this, I'm right behind this giant dog's ass!"

    'Yeah, I'm serious! His anus is the circumference of a daikon!"
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
    #3
    ROFL! That was a good one Bo!
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Chris V. (cgull)
    #4
    Thanks GTS, Bo, I love dogs for their loyalty, whatever the reason they always love. I wish humans could use some of that. I used to see dog owners with dogs in sidewalks, the dogs show more love than the owners, hope they teach some of that love to them. The Japanese in the photo don't understand the importance of that dog :)
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  666divine
    #5
    I would like to believe in the romantic notion of this story however, although initially the dog may have waited for his master's return, it seems that the dog's reason for being there might have altered. Dogs do have an innate schedule therefore the dog appearing at the station at the precisely same time every day for eleven years was more likely due to the fact that his stomach was dictating that it was supper time. But cute story, nonetheless.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
    #6
    I suppose you might be right Divine, but I too prefer the romantic notion of the story.

    I found it sort of silly that the dog warranted a monument in his honor? Sort of like the days of Moses when he came down from the mountain and his people were dancing around the Golden Calf! I mean, really, that seemed a bit over the top.

    I know my dog Taz, whom I had to have put to sleep after 11 years of loving me and my family, would always know when either of my kids were coming home, or when they moved out, coming to visit. They would arrive at random times, day and night, and I would see Taz get up and walk to the window atleast 3 to 4 minutes before their car would appear on the road. It was uncanny! Seriously - I know that his has been documented in various ways with hidden cameras and such with other dogs as well.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  666divine
    #7
    Scoop, I believe the statue of the dog was erected more as a symbol of loyalty. And perhaps, the townspeople might have shown their loyalty to the dog by erecting his statute.

    Now, if you want to see that as a symbol of worshipping false idols, there are many statues erected around the globe including statues of world leaders, military men on horseback, kings and queens, saints, artists and the list goes on. Are you suggesting that all statues should be destroyed as did Moses?
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
    #8
    No, of course not. It was just my reaction when I first looked at the statue. Since, according the the author, no one knows the significance of the statue, I wondered what was the point.

    I would hope there was a plaque or something attached to it, explaining it's significance.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
    #9
    And, also, people don't "worship" the various monuments and statues so I suppose my reference to Moses and the golden calf was a bit contrived.

    :-( Sorry..............LOL!
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Cynthia T. [Picasso]
    #10
    Nice story cgull and I think it was good to have the statue to show the loyalty of the dog and for parents to be able to talk to their children about being loyal.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Bocephalus
    #11
    They are super loyal, whether it is simply for the hands that feed them or some beautiful expression of human/animal bond in reality, I see nothing dangerous about embracing the sentiment.

    Way to invoke religion in a discussion about dogs Scoop lol:

  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
    #12
    Sorry about that Bo - I guess it was a result of discussions on other threads from this morning. I have to learn to clear my head and not go sticking my foot in my mouth and looking like a total moron.

    The comment made no sense really! LOL!!
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Bocephalus
    #13
    Weird, someone edited out my reproduction of the dog statue picture in box #2..

    Is this your doing Hogg????
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
    #14
    Yea, what's up with that? The picture was needed to go with the little text you wrote for it. Bummer.

    If you're going to edit things, you can take out my stupid comment regarding Moses and the calf. Course then you'd have to take out Bo's reply, and then.....well, once you start that ball rolling, who knows where it will stop.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  jaguar
    #15
    What a lovely story. I grew up with a dog & he was very loving & loyal. Even when he was dying & had pretty much lost the use of his back legs he would still struggle to follow me when I'd leave his side & drag himself with his front paws to follow me. It was soooo sad! Dad finally came in my bedroom one morning, I always slept with my dog, & he told me it was time to put the poor animal out of his suffering. Oh boy - that was mighty rough!
    :(
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Chris V. (cgull)
    #16
    @ jaguar
    What a lovely story. I grew up with a dog & he was very loving & loyal. Even when he was dying & had pretty much lost the use of his back legs he would still struggle to follow me when I'd leave his side & drag himself with his front paws to follow me. It was soooo sad! Dad finally came in my bedroom one morning, I always slept with my dog, & he told me it was time to put the poor animal out of his suffering. Oh boy - that was mighty rough!
    :(
    That must have been tough Jaguar, that is one of the reason I am afraid to get a dog, they die so quickly. My friend had a dog, it used to be so friendly, I didn't see them for three years, when I went back, it still remembered me, it was a nice feeling.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Debra Myers (skyangel)
    #17
    I've had several dogs over the years, and back in 2001, my little pal was killed by a car while she was chasing a squirrel across the road. Since then, I have not wanted another dog and was content to be grandma to my daughter's dog, Prince who's a Golden Retreiver.

    Last Sat., they load me into a car and take me to this place that's selling puppies...and I wasn't sure that I was ready yet to do this dog-thing again.

    Well, meet "Petey"! Ain't he a cutie!


    Sold!
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Chris V. (cgull)
    #18
    Nice dog Skyangel, it looks great. They can easily change our wills with such a look, anybody will take it. :)
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Debra Myers (skyangel)
    #19
    I have no regrets in getting him. He's such a character already at 9 weeks of age!
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  666divine
    #20
    Sky, how could you possibly resist? I too would have a very hard time walking away from such an adorable looking pup.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Debra Myers (skyangel)
    #21
    I had to chose between 3, but this one looked me square in the eyes when I held him, as if he was saying: "Pick me!" So...I did! LOL!
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  jaguar
    #22
    Awwwww, sky!!!! I am so happy for you & for Petey too!!!!!!
    :)
    Congrats on your new baby!!!
    :)
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Bob Ewing
    #23
    A very loyal dog, as a kid I had a dog named Scrappy, a mongrel who was very loyal to me, he was a great friend.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  666divine
    #24
    @ Debra Myers (skyangel)
    I had to chose between 3, but this one looked me square in the eyes when I held him, as if he was saying: "Pick me!" So...I did! LOL!

    Yes, I found that most animals will pick you. Whenever I had to pick a dog from a litter, I always ended up with the one who moved away from his comfort zone and came over to greet me. It seemed to have been their own decision. And it made it much easier for me. LOL
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Debra Myers (skyangel)
    #25
    Thanks, jag! He's a sweetie, that's for sure!

    Permafrog...believe it or not, most of my dogs were mutts of one kind or another, and almost all of them were abandoned. I've found I've had better luck with dogs that are not of a specific pedigree...this one is the closest I've gotten: he's half Boston Terrier and Chihuahua.
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Debra Myers (skyangel)
    #26
    divine...I almost went for the runt...but this little fellow was much cuter!
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  jaguar
    #27
    sky, I've had several feline "mutts" & I must say they have such great personalities! We now have two pedigreed kitties & although they are beautiful they are really different from the sweet domestic cats. Our 3rd cat is a domestic & he's adorable. Also, as beautiful as my Bengal & Tonkinese are, my very first cat (a "free" cat John got from someone's shed) was the most beautiful cat I've ever seen. I always told him he was "feline perfection" - I think it went to his head as he could get the most arrogant look on his face!
    LOL
  • avatar Posted Aug 18, 2007 by  Debra Myers (skyangel)
    #28
    We've had feline mutts too, some of which were abandoned, and animals are so funny because they do each have their own personalities! You wouldn't think they would...yet they very much do.
  • Stevely Posted Aug 24, 2007 by  Stevely
    #29
    This is very similar to the Greyfriars Bobby story.

    http://greyfriarsbobby.co.uk/home.html
  • avatar Posted Aug 24, 2007 by  Chris V. (cgull)
    #30
    @ Stevely
    This is very similar to the Greyfriars Bobby story.

    http://greyfriarsbobby.co.uk/home.html
    Thanks Steve, that's a great story, we can learn a lot from these animals. It has a statue also, that's awesome.

    Cheers.
  • Stevely Posted Aug 24, 2007 by  Stevely
    #31
    Also came across this story about "Sinbad the Sailor Dog", that you might find interesting.
    http://www.jacksjoint.com/sinbad2.htm
  • Stevely Posted Aug 24, 2007 by  Stevely
    #32
    Then there's Bamse, mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamse_(St._Bernard)
  • avatar Posted Aug 24, 2007 by  Chris V. (cgull)
    #33
    @ Stevely
    Then there's Bamse, mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamse_(St._Bernard)
    Thanks Stevely, glad to see so many dogs doing amazing stuff for their masters. Cheers :)
  • Niyanina Posted Apr 16, 2008 by  Niyanina
    #34
    I agree that dogs are loyal as can be. I think Hachiko is an epitome of loyalty. I hope humans will learn more from our four-legged furry friends. I have 5 rescued dogs and one of them passed on just recently. He is the one in the picture. I miss him terribly and in this place where there is no law protecting animals, it is hard to be one.
  • avatar Posted Apr 16, 2008 by  Chris V. (cgull)
    #35
    @ Niyanina
    I agree that dogs are loyal as can be. I think Hachiko is an epitome of loyalty. I hope humans will learn more from our four-legged furry friends. I have 5 rescued dogs and one of them passed on just recently. He is the one in the picture. I miss him terribly and in this place where there is no law protecting animals, it is hard to be one.
    Keep up the good work, hopefully in the future they will improve laws there.

Add a Comment

You have to Login or Register to comment


Email:
Password:
Remember meForgot password?