☺ Hachiko ☺

When I was a kid, I had a pet dog which my mom named Koochie. She was a mixed breed of Poodle and Japanese Spitz and she was adorable. I was responsible for her so I bathed and fed her. Unfortunately, she got ill and died. Then my dad bought me a Labrador and I named him Pepper. Sadly, he died due to an accident. Since then, I never got myself to take care of a pet dog again. I guess losing them was somewhat traumatic for me.

But what if it was the pet dog who suffers from the loss of his or her master? That's what the film I watched last night was all about.

Hachiko is a 2009 American adaptation of a Japanese tale. It's about a dog who was so loyal to his master. In the film, Richard Gere plays a professor, Parker Wilson, who travels to and from work everyday by train. One night while he was leaving the train station, a dog came up to him and since the dog looked lost, he decided to take it home with him. Parker instantly fell in love with the dog but his wife was against them taking in a stray so they made fliers so that anyone who becomes interested with the dog might contact them. However, Parker's wife saw how much happier her husband became when Hachiko entered their lives so she let him keep the dog.

As Hachiko was growing, he became so attached to his master that everyday, he'd see his master off to work. He'd walk with his master to the train station and wait until he goes in to board the train, leave for home and then come back every afternoon, around 5 o'clock, just in time to greet his master as he comes in after work. That was Hachiko's daily routine. 

Sadly, his master died while at work. Of course, Hachiko wasn't really aware of it and because he was so loyal to his master, he still went back to the train station to await his master's return but he never came back. Hachiko faithfully came back to the train station the next day, still waiting for his master, and every day after that for the next 9 years. Most of the people working in or near the train station was amazed at how faithful he was. Can you imagine the dog's loyalty to his master? 

After the film, a short paragraph came up the screen saying that the film was based on the story of a Japanese professor at Tokyo University who found Hachiko in 1923. The professor passed away in 1925 and everyday for the next 9 years, Hachiko waited on his usual spot just outside the train station. The real Hachiko died in 1935 and today, a bronze statue of Hachiko sits in his waiting spot outside the Shibuya station in Japan as a permanent reminder of his devotion and love.

I had tears in my eyes as the climax of the film was unraveling. It was really moving and touching, well at least IMO. If you're a pet lover, you might like or love the film.☺