Small children are told stories of great people, of noble people, of virtuous people, so that they imbibe the values of such righteous people. But it is not from humans alone that lessons are learned and wisdom is got. Sometimes even animals can teach us a lot by their deeds. Here are a few heart-touching stories of three exceptional dogs.
3 Remarkable dogs
1. Hachiko
The story of Hachiko is heart-warming and will not fail to stake a chord with all dog lovers. He is the symbol of love and loyalty to everybody. He was a truly remarkable dog and thus he gained worldwide attention for remaining faithful to his master until his death.
Hachiko, a golden brown Akita, was taken as a pet by Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, in 1924. The dog and his owner soon became much attached. Hachiko would accompany Ueno to the train station every morning and wait for his train to leave. Only then would he return home. Later during the day, he would go back to the train station again at the precise time when Ueno’s train was scheduled to arrive and then they would both go home together. This routine continued everyday for a year. But one fine day, Ueno suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while he was still at the university and he died. When Hachiko went to the train station the day to receive his master, he waited for hours together but his master did not arrive. Unfazed, the dog returned to the train station the next day and every day after that for nine years, patiently awaiting his mater’s return. He continued to do sp right until the day of his death.
People had noticed the dog waiting at the station every day and news about him spread far and wide. Articles were published about him, which brought him into the national spotlight. Statues were also erected in his likeness to immortalize his loyalty. Books were written and movies were made depicting the story of Hachiko. Hachiko’s stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan, in Tokyo. Every year on the eighth of April, a ceremony is conducted at Tokyo’s Shibuya railroad station, the place where Hachiko waited, to honor his devotion and even though he is dead today, he lives in the hearts of many.
2. Faith
Faith might be what some people call, ‘a miracle dog’. True to her name, Faith has been one to revive the faith forgotten in the lives of many. She is famous all over the world and has inspired scored of people everywhere.
Faith was born with only three legs out of which the two hind legs were completely normal but the only foreleg that she had, was deformed. It had to be amputated when she was 7-months-old because it began to atrophy. She belongs to Jude Stringfellow whose son, Reuben, rescued the disabled puppy from being smothered by her mother. She was immediately accepted and adopted by the family. Although a lot of people, including veterinarians advised Jude to euthanize her, she did not lose hope. Instead of treating Faith like a disabled dog, Jude started to teach her to walk on her two hind feet, using peanut butter on a spoon to lure Faith. It was an extremely difficult task and was not normal at all but in the end, they were successful and Faith could walk by herself. When she gets tired, she is carried around. They are now considering giving her a prosthetic harness but they are not sure if she will take it.
Faith has been going to many places to give inspiration to many. Her perseverance is unusual and has gotten her so far. She is recognized all over the world and people flock to see her. She has also been featured on famous talk shows and there are books written on her. Jude runs an official website which is wholly dedicated to Faith and her activities. She says that Faith was like a ray of light and brought happiness into her family.
3. Wonder Dog Jim
Possibly one of the most gifted dogs of all times, Jim was quite the sensation of the 1930’s. He was said to have had a sixth sense about most things. He could predict accurately the gender of babies even before they were born. He picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby seven times in a row and also the winner of the World Series of Baseball. He was able to understand and obey orders in shorthand, the Morse code as well as in several languages although he was not trained to do so and his master spoke only English. He was also able to pick up from among a crowd of people, ‘the man who sells hardware’, ‘a visitor from Kansas city’ and others like that, without having any prior knowledge of them. In honor of Jim a park was built in Marshall, Missouri, where he died. The park also had a bronze statue of the likeness of Jim.