Akita (秋田) is a Japanese breed of guard dog. From what I have heard and read, seems like it has the German Shepherd's type of temperament -- extremely loyal and affectionate to its own family members, but can be very protective and aggressive to strangers and other dogs.
I recently had some major landscaping work done in front of the house, and the owner of the landscaping company is a gentleman who used to own an Akita before that poor dog was killed by a car. The gentleman got touchingly emotional when he talked about his Akita affectionately.
Curious, I did some research on this type of breed. The most interesting and impressive story by Wikipedia is Hachikō (ハチ公), one of the most revered Akitas of all time. He was born in 1923 and was owned by Professor Eizaburo Ueno of Tokyo. Professor Ueno lived near the Shibuya Train Station (渋谷駅) in a suburb of the city and commuted to work every day on the train. Hachikō accompanied his master to and from the station each day.
On May 25, 1925, when the dog was 18 months old, he waited for his master's arrival on the four o'clock train. But he waited in vain; Professor Ueno had suffered a fatal stroke at work. Hachikō continued to wait for his master's return. He traveled to and from the station each day for the next nine years till he died. He allowed the professor's relatives to care for him, but he never gave up the vigil at the station for his master. His vigil became world renowned, and shortly after his death, a bronze statue was erected at the train station in his honor.
A book I read mentions that dogs have exceptional therapeutic effect in helping people feel better during illness, depression or other stressful situations. I have seen some big macho guys on TV breakdown hard when they talked about their beloved dogs that had passed away.
While I try not to think of the unavoidable event of my dog, I know that day will eventually come. Hopefully a lot later than sooner the way we take good care of Caitey, but I know that part of me is irreplaceable and will be lost forever.
The common therapy recommended for people to overcome the grief and loss is to get another dog, and eventually time will heal all wounds. What about dogs? When they lose their masters, how do they get over their sorrow? Like Hachiko, who spent the rest of his life walking back and force to/from the train station hoping for the return of the professor, how did he deal with the hollow in his heart? Can we say dogs are a lot more loyal, dependable and consistent than we humans?
"Hachiko: A Dog's Story" is a drama film based on the true story of the above mentioned faithful Japanese dog Hachikō. The movie will be in theatres in the US on December 18th this year. Whether you are a Richard Gere fan or not, I think you will want to watch this movie.
In case you are interested, you can find here the trailers of the new Hachiko movie's English and Japanese version. and the original Japanese movie "Hachiko Monogatari".
Lastly, may all friendship last forever -- be it between humans or between a human and an animal.
