"Dog is a loyal and faithful animal" we keep hearing this statement from childhood. But one dog about which I came to know this morning is a special one, Hachiko, famous for the loyalty for his deceased owner for almost 9-11 years.
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| Hachiko (taken from Wikipedia) |
It was a 1 year owner-pet relationship from 1924-1925.
During this one year Hachiko used to see his owner off and wait for his return at the station nearby. This routine continued after the death of his owner in 1925 till the death of Hachiko in 1935. Hachiko's loyalty came into spotlight when a student of the owner started studying breed of the dog and he followed Hachiko, he found out that dog appeared just at the time of the owner's arrival.Later Hachiko was written about in news papers. He was a recognized symbol of loyalty and the vigil of Hachiko was used by teachers as an example to follow for children.
Before the death of Hachiko in 1934, the bronze statue of the dog was erected at the station where he waited for his master. Hachiko was present at the unveiling of statue.
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| Hachiko's statue at his waiting spot |
There is an annual ceremony is conducted at the station on 8th of April. His mounted and stuffed remains are kept in national science museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.
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Hachiko at national science museum of Japan
A film was premiered in 2009 based on true story of the dog. Hollywood actor Richard Gere played the role of Professor (Owner of the Dog).
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