There is a well-known story about an Akita in Japan. Prof. Ueno of Tokyo University had an Akita called Hachi. He loved the dog with all his heart and allowed him to live inside the house, which was quite unusual at that time in Japan. They looked very inseparable indeed. Every single time he had a bit of luck, he went off-lead alone to meet his dad at Shibuya Station in Tokyo.

One day the professor had an attack of cerebral haemorrhage during his lecture at the university and died soon after. Hachi, little suspecting that this was the day which would change his life forever, walked off alone to meet his dad as usual. He stayed sitting in front of the station after the last train had gone. Perhaps he could not imagine his dad had passed away after living together for only 17 months.

Hachi's family moved to another place of Tokyo, from where he often walked 8 kilometres to the station to find his dad. Hachi was afterwards adopted to another home whose house was about 0.8 kilometres away from the station. He often escaped from the place and went to the house where he had lived with Dad, and then ran to the station. And eventually the day came when he was abandoned alone.

Dog lovers in the neighbourhood (including the stationmaster) occasionally fed him, but he seemed to prefer living alone. Day after day he walked to the station to meet his dad. His coat was getting poorer and poorer, until the day when he died of heartworm in front of the station - a day in March 1935. He had been waiting for his dad there for over ten years.

It is said that Hachi did not bark at any person or dog and never got aggressive, although he had a scar on his ear bitten by another dog.

Sad as it is, this is a story from the good old days, when people were not so litigious as nowadays.

tobysdad_jp

:( thats soo sad, but sweet aswell

Sounds a bit like Greyfriars Bobby!

Norm

This made me choke up - poor Hachi. Sharing it with Jimmy our neighbourhood Akita owner.

It is very like the story of Greyfriars Bobby, and like him, there is a statue to Hatchi outside Shibuya train station in that, now very fashionable, very stylish area(saw it two years ago!)

Margot

aaawwww what a sad story :(