The story of a dog sitting loyally by its dead owner’s grave after the major floods in Brazil last month has turned out to be false, but it nonetheless sheds light on true stories of dogs who have been so faithful, even beyond death. Greyfriar’s Bobby is an example from 1800′s Scotland of a terrier who lay by his master’s grave for the last 14 years of his own life, true to the end. In 1930′s Japan, there was Hachiko, who went every day to the train station to wait for the deceased owner who would no longer come.
But here are happier stories of dogs who get to greet their owners returning from war. This veteran came home after a 15 month tour in Iraq:
And this one of a returning Afghanistan soldier:
And here’s a double team of love:
The loyalty of the dog is also noted in Homer’s Odyssey: when Odysseus returns home, blind and in rags, but his old dog Argos recognizes him right away, and runs to be with him and dies at his feet. A dog will never up and leave you for someone with more money, it will never talk bad about you when you’re not around. All it wants out of life are the bare necessities of survival, and in return you get its commitment for life.
Update: loyalty to one’s injured friend, from the Japan tragedy:
Filed under: tribute
