Hachikō The Loyal Dog

[Alegend1994]

Has anyone heard of Hachikō the dog?, if not here is a quick synopsis of the story.

Hachikō, also known as 'chūken Hachikō' or 'faithful dog Hachikō, was an Akita dog that was owned by a professor Hidesaburō Ueno, who worked at the University of Tokyo in the agriculture department.

Everyday Hachikō would meet the professor at the nearby Shibuya Station, until May 1925 where the professor had died from a cerebral hemorrhage. Even though the professor did not return to the station for another 9 years Hachikō still waited for his owner, where he arrived to meet the professor's train at the exact time of it's arrival.

Hachikō died on March 8, 1935, and was found on a street in Shibuya. His bones were buried beside his owners grave and his body was stuffed and is now on display at the National Science Museum of Japan in Tokyo.

I heard this story from a podcast by HowStuffWorks that I was listening to and it was one of those moments where I almost felt like crying.

Post how you felt when you heard this story, I probably didn't make it sound sad enough so it's probably better to hear the actual podcast, and have you heard of any other stories about loyalty like this? (Podcast episode is called 'Are Dogs Really Man's Best Friend?)

Also do you think dogs are really man's best friend?

[Shade_13]

To be honest i dont remember when was the first time i read about Hachiko, thats one of those stories you think you know by default. And the movie with Richard Gere must have popularized the story among those who hadn't heard it.

I'm a dog lover, ive seen how wide the emotional range of those creatures can be with my own eyes, so the story never was something unimaginable for me. Still a good story, and i'm glad that what was at first just an article in a paper lived on to our days.

P.S. I dont really care about the body after death, but stuffing it seems inappropriate to me.

[† Ferocia Coutura]

I read this book when I was a little kid, probably five or six years old. I remember I cried at the end because I thought the ending was sad. My friend Michelle told me, though, that it wasn't sad, that it was happy, because Hachiko never gave up his love for his former master.

I do love this book, I still read it from time to time.

[† Emotional Outlet]

I don't really see what debate there is to be had. I think this would be better suited in the Balamb Cafe.

However, it is a sweet tale of loyalty. I do agree the stuffing of the dog is a bit disrespectful and unnecessary. They can make a statue.

[Shinato]

Yeah there's a movie based on it. It was out about 4 years ago. However, it's called Haichi, A dog's tale. Richard Gere stars in it and it's beautiful. It had me in complete tears and I was only an hour into the movie. It's such a moving story and dog is truly man's best friend. If you die, a cat will eat you before you're cold... thought that had to be said.

Such a moving story though. I'd recommend that you watch the movie.