Sunday, June 28, 2009

A different level of faithfulness!

How long would you wait if your loved one didn't come back one day?

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.

Just a reason why I love dogs!

Note: The original can be found here...

And there is a link in Wikipedia too...

73 comments:

Lynn said...

dogs are so loyal, they always love you no matter what. very touching story. thanks for posting this. my son's service dog is still trying to adjust and it's been almost a year. he laid beside his wheelchair for weeks.

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Lynn,
And they cannot even speak and convey their feelings... what breed is the dog?

Aparna said...

Hey, that was a nice emotional post from you! We are a family of dog lovers and every year my husband decides to bring one home. Then he looks at the size of our flat and changes his mind.

eye-in-sty-in said...

ya.... that is certainly a factor to consider while keeping a pet... but then again, I'm sure the dog can adapt to the house well.... :-)

Vyzz said...

ah if only humans practised loyalty.

nice one. me loves dogs. but parents wud never let me get one.

cheers

vyo

floreta said...

awww that is so sweet! i have written lots of dog posts myself.. i love them. i think i have heard of the akita breed fairly recently but wasn't aware of them before. i have heard stories similar to this with dogs. it is very sad :(

ekta khetan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ekta khetan said...

Nice blog...


http://ektakhetan.blogspot.com

Suree said...

statue is a loyality to the dog for its loyality towards his master...

Anonymous said...

I don't like it when you stop posting. Keep those awesome images coming =)

sujata sengupta said...

that was a great piece. I dont like dogs or cats or any pets in the house, but really this level of loyalty can be had only from a dog, and yet 'bitch'is such a derogatory term..wonder why?

Ire said...

Nice write up! I so so want a dog! I wish my mother would read this!

witsnnuts said...

Omg !! such a loyal dog.. wish i own one soon ..
Gr8 post Spike !!

Varun said...

Amazing! Absolutely no-one can match a dog's loyalty. My dog ran away from my home when it was around a year old. I always had this hope that it might come back one day. And to my and others surprise, it did! After one full year :). From then on it lived with me for the rest of its life. It was a street dog but a cute one at that :)

Was searching for Akita breed's images on google and found this cute one. Thought you might like it

http://cdn-www.dailypuppy.com/media/dogs/anonymous/kisu_akita_02.jpg_w450.jpg

WhatsInAName said...

really touching!
Dogs surely are the most loyal of them all and still as Sujata mentioned, we use the words
dog and bitch for badmouthing! Sad no!

Ripples said...

This is the best post written by you and I simply loved it....Well I did get a little senti after reading this post.....
But to tel u something related to this post....my mom had cum down to b'lore for 4 weeks.She has 3 stray dogs as her pet...the pup whose name is Tipsy is crazy about my mum. When she returned home after the vacation, the pup ran towards her and starting licking her feet and jumping all over the place.....He would just not let mum go inside the house and play around.....and for a week after that whenever mum stepped outta home he would follow her @ least till the time she got into the rick.....
I think only animals can have and show such true love....not possible by humans...

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Vyzz,

Humans too practice it... the level is just different. "parents" are the most common reason for not having a dog :-)

Hi Floreta,
You have? I must read them when time permits. Akitas look cute too... I found the story to be very inspiring. Good to know about ur love for dogs :-)

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Ekta,
Welcome to my blog. thanks for checking it out. (will reply to ur MJ comment :-)

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Suree,
Welcome to my blog. Well said!

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Anamika,
This u say when I write a post :P Arent you supposed to say this when I don't post frequently :D

Hi Sujata,
Why dont u like pets in the house? I have no idea why... I started to speculate, but then let it go...

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Nikki,
You should make ur mom read this and get you a dog pronto! There, you can even name it 'pronto' :P

Hi witsnnuts
Thank you! Go get one... they r so much fun.

eye-in-sty-in said...

hi Varun,
Good to see u here buddy. Really! He came back after 1 year!!! Thats extraordinary! Do u have pics of ur dog? The one u googled was indeed cute!

Hi WIAN,
It is sad... but then I dont think of those terms as derogatory. Any idea why are they derogatory?

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Ripples,
First of all... I didn't write this post myself. Its an article :-) No credit to me. I found the story extraordinary and inspiring, hence I shared with everyone who reads it.

Wow! Its great to read about tipsy :-) You are right... the love of a dog is so unconditional! I had a stray pet named blackie! Used to come to the house @ noon to be fed.

Zeba said...

Wow. This is just amazing. Will check out all the links!!

Vee said...

I am not a big fan of keeping a pet. I have nothing against them, it's just me. I appreciate your love for them though.

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Zebra,
thanks!

Hi Vee,
Now that ws a 10/10 for diplomacy!!!! :D

Bouncing-Bubble said...

I'm afraid of dogs. But my dad used to have 4 of them as pets. nice to know abt this touching tale.

eye-in-sty-in said...

4!!!!! wowwwww!! :-) Am so jealous of u... btw, why r u afraid of 'em?

vimmuuu said...

Thats a wonderful article. Thanks for sharing it.

I have a Lhasa apso at my native. I have always liked the idea of having pets and the best part is with them around, we would not be feeling lonely at all. When looking at them, we get this amazing feeling that atleast someone in this world likes us :D

Americanising Desi said...

acc to chinese astro i m the dog!

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Vimmu,
YOu are very right - can I see the pics of ur dog? And their love is so unconditional...

Hi AD,
are u now? great... I'm a horse as per the Chinese :-)

Ann Dee said...

I heard this story..didn't know of its Japanese connection and that the dog actually waited 10 years. That's phenomenal!

And here's our share of the tailed species who forgets his parents the moment he sees a bitch. :(

But otherwise, life has changed after Booms. One should know a dog at least once in a lifetime. Did you read his blog (my boy also writes you know)...

Bhargavi said...

umm .. nice.. but guess i am not a pet person...you have a dog ?

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Ann Dee,
I too was moved by the dog's commitment! Lol.. what breed of dog do u have? Not a pom :P

No I was not aware of ur son blogging... whats his blog? do tell...!

Hi Razzle Dazzle!
hmmmm... interesting -I thought u'd like them... No I dont have 1... :-(

Dhanya said...

East or West dogs are just the best!

And your post just proved that fact...

eye-in-sty-in said...

Thanks Dhanya... :-)

vimmuuu said...

You can find snowy here :

http://vimalsparadise.blogspot.com/2007/08/why-am-i-like-this-its-because-of-them.html

Angel's Flight said...

Aww such a Heart Warming post!!

Ire said...

You have your debate on my blog!

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Vimmu,

Snowy looks really cute like a stuffed toy!! Must be so much fun and what an apt name - was he named after Tintin's dog? or after his coat?

Hi Angel,
TY.

Hi Nikki,
will be there....

Ann Dee said...

Ours is a lab. His blog's called thecaninediary.blogspot.com

It's jointly authored by three of us...his mom, foster mom and aunt :P

vimmuuu said...

Thanks for checking out the link. Well, he was snow white in color when we got him and yes, inspired from Tintin!

Yword said...

this isa really nice post :)

Lynn said...

my dog is a black lab you can see him and read his story on the django page on my site. he sat at my sons w/c after he died and just laid his head on the footplate. it was so incredibly sad. thank you for this most awesome post.

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Ann Dee,
Wow... a dog blog! thats whacky... now I have seen it all :-D
What's ur relation to the dog?

Hi Vimmu,
awesome!! and its an apt name for him.

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi M,
Thank you for reading it.

Hi Lynn,
That is so sad.... I will check out Django soon...

Ann Dee said...

He's my son.

eye-in-sty-in said...

ok... kis ke paas se churaya
(From whom did you steal the dog?)

Ann Dee said...

Just coz I sport a moustache with elan, doesnt make me some slimy chor OK.

Boomer's my SON..I repeat.

[And dont you dare think of planting a tail on me...that'd sure look very funny - but I'd never talk to you again. Serious!]

eye-in-sty-in said...

abe oye.... did u shave the mustache and lose ur brain too?

if boomer has a foster mom, he belonged to someone else at 1 time, right? Grrrrrrr!!

btw, that tail bit is a very good idea... now I only need a full length pic of urs...

Dear ND, can you be super sweet and send me one? Please..... ? I promise to make the tail really bushy :-))

Ann Dee said...

Nehi re....itna dimag kyon chalatey hai kuch log I dont understand.

Boomer was with Scarlett when I went home for my marriage..that's how she's his foster mom.

eye-in-sty-in said...

Ab yeh Scarlett boomer ki GF hai kya? Picture khatam home ke baad bhi characters add ho rahe hain!!

Ann Dee said...

Go see a shrink or get yourself admitted in a pre-school. You need tuitions on basic English.

[something for you at spikeace]

eye-in-sty-in said...

will the shrink shrink my brain to increase the relative level of intelligence? or will it teach the ol' dog some new tricks? Pls share ur experience...

Aparna said...

Why haven't you posted for a while?Never thought I would tell you this but kinda miss your whackiness.

Ann Dee said...

Not again..........

Smita said...

Here I come quite quite late :-)

I am scared of Dogs!!! No reason for it but am plain scared!!!! But my Mom has tales about her Doggie and ur post gave ne a lovely idea.

Since my parents are staying alone I suggested her to get a pet as that might keep her occupied, but alas! she shot down my idea, too much maintenance she Says!!!

Nice post!!!

Pssstt Why don't u post more often???

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hi Aparna,
lol... thanks... but I thought u were too old for it :P

Hi Andee!
chalo teekh hai... is baar biryani ko baksh diya jata hai!

Hi Smita,
thanks. better late than never... i'm busy so dont get time to write too many posts.

Preethi said...

OMG! I read a beautiful post, and drop by to comment and I see that you made me Boom's GF?? He is my sonny boy, but Ann Dee's son!

And now to the post! Oh man! This one really got me tears! :(
I read something similar sometime back, but reading stuff like this always makes me cry. The image of a dog waiting for its(I generally never call a dog - it) master is heartening!
No wonder people love dogs.

And nice.. you are also a dog-lover !

All this dog-talk is making me miss Boom!
Ann Dee, I am coming over to meet Boom baby! :)

Preethi said...

Arey no man.. if you know that the dog might not adjust to the apartment, then rather not get him/her.
Atleast labs are very energetic dogs, and they need a lot of exercise.
Ask Ann Dee, how we literally have to tire out Boomer so that he will sleep! :)

eye-in-sty-in said...

Hey Scarlett,

Welcome to my blog! Did I make you his GF? I asked if u were, I didn't conclude it ;-)

And after ur clarification, I now know what exactly is going on, and boom's relation to u and to ND.

Yes, its no secret, I think dogs are great! Unconditional love and faithfulness. Ranks high up in my list :-)

There have been threatening discussions over getting a dog, so dont know when and how that'll happen... till that time, ND and you might have to share boom with me too :P

keep visiting and don't be a stranger :-)

Preethi said...

No please... I think Boom has enough people in his life already, and both myself and Ann Dee wouldn't want to share him with anyone else now!
What say, girl?

And thanks for the warm welcome!

eye-in-sty-in said...

Chalo koi nahi.. I'll just look at me in the mirror and pet my own head.... after all, the name Spike should have its advantages!!!

Ann Dee said...

EISI

Eyeing Boom? Dont. He bites and his momma claws.

eye-in-sty-in said...

Bites I can handle (give him treats and pet him).... claws? now that is something I had not anticipated.... are the talons manicured? and has the tetanus shot been taken? does she go to the vet regularly?

Ann Dee said...

What use will be talons if they're trimmed?

And she has never EVER been to the vet.

eye-in-sty-in said...

Scarlett doesn't pay attention to her cat kya? Bad Scarlett!

Ann Dee said...

Boomer's momma can't be a cat right? Want me to send you back to school again?

eye-in-sty-in said...

I was talking about her.... :-|
Now read my above comment with that info in mind! :P

Ann Dee said...

Ooooo..ugh....Sorry for interrupting!

Scarlett, I didn't know you've a cat!

eye-in-sty-in said...

I see THIS cat has her talons out ;-)
Scarlett, pls take her to the vet ... and make sure she gets a big injection :P

Ann Dee said...

Go stand before the mirror, pet yourself and give yourself a big chew bone...You'll not want to do anything else over the weekend.

eye-in-sty-in said...

I'll b getting a lot more than that this weekend :P But i will keep ur suggestion in mind ;-)