[Hitfaromarf]

hachiko: the world's most loyal dog
27/03/2008



if you've ever seen the canceled-before-its-time (but now revived!) show futurama, you'll probably remember bender, the alcoholic robot; leela, the beautiful one-eyed captain; and philip j. fry, the bumbling pizza delivery boy who was cryogenically frozen for a thousand years before joining the planet express intergalactic mail delivery team. but do you remember fry's loyal, loving dog, who waited for his master until the end of his life? if you didn't think a cartoon character could make you cry, it might be time to reevaluate after you watch this heart-wrenching scene.

now, of course, fry's dog never really existed (nor did the murderous killbots, luckily), and you might scoff at the idea that any canine could really exercise such supreme loyalty. after all, your dog forgets that you're alive whenever your sister stops by bearing bags of pupperoni. and while it's true that most animals are more loyal to their meals than to their masters, we know of an amazingly faithful dog that could be a real-life counterpart to fry's ever-loving pooch: hachiko, an akita from tokyo.

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.

original story by kathryn hawkins


man's best friend - greyfriars bobby

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/greyfriars_bobby

http://www.historic-uk.com/historyuk...yfriarsbob.htm

john gray a gardener, together with his wife jess and son john arrived in edinburgh around 1850. unable to find work as a gardener he avoided the workhouse by joining the edinburgh police force as a night watchman.

to keep him company through the long winter nights john took on a partner, a diminutive skye terrier, his ‘watchdog’ called bobby. together john and bobby became a familiar sight trudging through the old cobbled streets of edinburgh. through thick and thin, winter and summer, they were faithful friends.

the years on the streets appear to have taken their toll on john, as he was treated by the police surgeon for tuberculosis.

john eventually died of the disease on the 15th february 1858 and was buried in greyfriars kirkyard. bobby soon touched the hearts of the local residents when he refused to leave his master's grave, even in the worst weather conditions.

the gardener and keeper of greyfriars tried on many occasions to evict bobby from the kirkyard. in the end he gave up and provided a shelter for bobby by placing sacking beneath two tablestones at the side of john gray’s grave.

bobby’s fame spread throughout edinburgh. it is reported that almost on a daily basis the crowds would gather at the entrance of the kirkyard waiting for the one o'clock gun that would signal the appearance of bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal.

bobby would follow william dow, a local joiner and cabinet maker to the same coffee house that he had frequented with his now dead master, where he was given a meal.

in 1867 a new bye-law was passed that required all dogs to be licensed in the city or they would be destroyed. sir william chambers (the lord provost of edinburgh) decided to pay bobby's licence and presented him with a collar with a brass inscription "greyfriars bobby from the lord provost 1867 licensed". this can be seen at the museum of edinburgh.

the kind folk of edinburgh took good care of bobby, but still he remained loyal to his master. for fourteen years the dead man's faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872.

baroness angelia georgina burdett-coutts, president of the ladies committee of the rspca, was so deeply moved by his story that she asked the city council for permission to erect a granite fountain with a statue of bobby placed on top.

william brody sculptured the statue from life, and it was unveiled without ceremony in november 1873, opposite greyfriars kirkyard. and it is with that, that scotland’s capital city will always remember its most famous and faithful dog

bobby's headstone reads "greyfriars bobby - died 14th january 1872 - aged 16 years - let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all".