Who doesn't like movies? Well for me whenever a movie has a dog in it as a main character I am a lot more likely to watch it than not and even though dog movies can be rather hit and miss there are a some really great ones out there. Here are some of my favorites.
I think that most people are familiar with this story even if they don't know all about it. Some were upset that this Japanese true story was made as though it happened in USA, which it didn't... but I am not going to bother with that because had the movie been made in Japanese only there is a lot of the world that wouldn't have ever seen it and for that, I am grateful that it was made into a blockbuster film in America just so people could hear the story of this truly wonderful animal that is a hero in Japan and rightfully so.
If you've ever known a pet to be extremely loyal and just a wonderful creature well, Hachi or Hachiko as he is known in Japan, is truly taking this to another level. It is no secret that one day his professor dog-dad died while at university teaching and therefore did not return to the train station ever again. Hachi, being about as loyal as any creature could possibly be, went with great anticipation to the train station at exactly the time that the supposed train would arrive. Hachi was no assisted in making it there on time, the dog simply knew. I have wondered about this ability as far as dogs are concerned for a long time and wonder how it is that they have a really good lock on understanding time despite being seemingly oblivious about any of the science surrounding it.
There weren't many pictures available to be taken during the time of the real Hachiko's time living, so we therefore the imagery provided by the film was welcome, even though it clearly is not the dog in question.
There are a few photos of the actual dog though
These pictures were taken in 1933 and there aren't very many of them yet the legacy remains to this day in the area of Japan that Hachi lived in and while I knew about the story of this dog's unwavering love and loyalty, a lot of the world likely wouldn't have heard about it if it weren't for this film so even though they changed the nation, I am still happy the movie happened because they get a lot of stuff historically correct about Hachi in the film.
Apparently, people who knew who Hachi's owner was tried to re-home him, which was a nice gesture, but Hachi didn't want this because it interfered with his ability to wait for him master at the train station every day. So instead Hachi chose to be a homeless dog instead. Such was his dedication to the idea that his owner would one day come off of that train to greet him again. It makes me a bit teary-eyed just thinking about such a scenario though.
Hachi the dog eventually died and there was a lot of ceremony surrounding his death and it was considered a national thing and honor of sorts and his remains were placed right next to the Professor master in a cemetery in Japan. It's just so touching.
There is now a statue of Hachi at Shibuya station in his honor and most people don't know that this is actually the 2nd statue. The first one had to be melted down during the war effort during WW2.
I hope to be able to travel there one day to see it.
If you are a dog lover and haven't seen this movie I suggest you do so. Get ready to be sad though, because a common theme in these movies is that just like when you have a dog in real life, the ending is guaranteed to be tragic.
if you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
Krabi Animal Welfare is a charity run entirely by volunteers and are a registered non-profit organization in Thailand and the U.K.. We aim to relieve the pain and suffering of dogs and cats within Krabi Province.
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