Information

Hachiko
Legacy Name: Hachiko

The

Angelic Kumos
Owner:

Sorceress

Age: 14 years, 2 months, 3 weeks

Born: January 31st, 2010

Adopted: 10 years, 3 months, 3 days ago

Adopted: January 24th, 2014

Statistics

Level: 3
Strength: 10
Defense: 10
Speed: 10
Health: 10
HP: 10/10
Intelligence: 4
Books Read: 4
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Unemployed

Huge thanks to

METROID for adopting Hachiko out to me! :heart: ;_;

What is love? Love is the very definition of deep care and affection for someone (or something) and it often comes hand in hand with loyalty and putting another above yourself. In all honesty, love is rare to come by- true and honest love, that is. Many people throw the word around and donâ€™t actually understand or mean it, or they often love themselves more than another. There is one creature, however, who has proven its love and loyalty to others time and time again throughout history- no matter what shape or size it comes in. It doesnâ€™t even matter what colour or age it is. That creature is no other than the dog, which is also known as manâ€™s best friend- a title which it is so rightly deserving of. If a man is to let a dog in to his life, then he truly has a friend, a best friend and he will never be alone or unloved again. A dogs love is true and his heart is loyal- no matter what hardships may arise.

Hachiko, the dog this Kumos is named after, is a great example of just how loyal a dog is- and of just how much it can love when you let it in to your heart. Hachiko (HachikÅ), was a golden-brown Akita, born on a farm near the city of Odate, Akita Prefecture, in Japan. Agricultural professor HidesaburÅ Ueno, took Hachiko in as a pet in 1924. Hachiko greeted him at Shibuya Station, at the end of every day.

Unfortunately, during the May of 1925, Professor Ueno suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and did not return to where his loyal friend was waiting. Hachiko did not walk away when the Professor did not turn up, however, for he chose to turn up each day at the time the train arrived, so that he could wait for his friend- as he always had. Hachiko continued to return and wait for nine years, until he sadly passed away on March the 8th, in 1935. He waited for his friend and did not forget him nor the love they shared and despite the Professor not being able to return, he still made sure to go to the place where they had always met.

Hachiko is not the only remarkable dog in history, for many have shown their love and care time and time again- many such as Balto, the dog whom braved it through treacherous conditions and managed to find his way back to Nome- despite whiteout conditions. There is also Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye Terrier, who guarded his masters grave for fourteen years, until he passed away himself. Dogs have been known to help and give their love and support throughout history, even if they are not always made famous for it. A family pet can be both a persons best friend and source of inspiration, something which I know very well myself.

Years ago, back when I was still in school, I became very sick- so sick in fact, that I ended up being bed-bound. My human friends, or those who I thought were my friends, turned their back on me and honestly didnâ€™t want much to do with me- simply because I could not keep up with them and do all of the things they were getting on with. They didnâ€™t have time for a sickly person who couldnâ€™t do much at all, so I was left literally with no one but my Mother and the little activity I could indulge in on the days I was able to get out of bed. On my Birthday, my Mother decided to finally get me a dog- something which I had longed for since a little girl. She decided to let me have one for many reasons, but mostly because I was lost and lonely- and she knew that dogs were both loyal and loving. We went from pound to pound, looking at many dogs. It was hard being there and in all honesty, it upset me, for it broke my heart to see so many amazing canines stuck without homes and the love of a family. I wasnâ€™t looking for any particular breed of dog, I didnâ€™t even mind what age it was- I wanted a friend, a friend that I could really call my friend. During our search, we came across a small article advertising a white, 6 month old, female Boxer- who apparently had a patch over one eye. I still remember how much reading that small segment of writing made me smile, because the description made me think of Chance, a mischievous American Bulldog from Disneyâ€™s Homeward Bound. I honestly was not expecting the dog to be like the film character, even though I had read that Boxers were quite the fun breed! I was certainly surprised when I finally met her, but in a very good way. We were all sitting on the sofa when she was let in and boy did she come in like a rocket! Her nubby, little tail was wiggling so fast that I swore her bum was about to take off! With her big, brown eyes taking one look at us, she immediately made an introduction- which consisted of her bounding up and on to the sofa behind us, so that she could generously lavish us all in big, sloppy kisses. It had been so long since I had last smiled, since I had last laughed and just her very presence was enough to bring joy to my heart and make me feel something I honestly thought I had lost. She made me feel alive again and she gave me a reason to want to live, because I had pretty much given up hope that I would ever go back to being â€˜normalâ€™ again. She made me want to fight and she made me want to enjoy things again. With her current owner popping her in the kitchen (so that she could tend to her children, whom had come down out of curiosity to see what was going on), I remember leaning over and peering through the glass panels in the door. She was sitting there, tail still wagging, puffy pink jowls pressed to the glass (with complimentary clouds of hot breath distorting our view!) and big brown eyes staring right back out at us. I knew then that she was the dog for me, because my heart had began to beat again from the very first moment I had seen her. I whispered to my Mum that I wanted her and she asked me if I was sure. I nodded, I had never been more sure over anything before in my life. She was my dog, my friend, I loved her already and she had managed to make me smile in seconds- something which others had failed to do for months. We took her home that very night and she smothered us with kisses during the car ride, all the way home! We named her â€˜Akitaâ€™ (often shortened to â€˜Kitaâ€™ or â€˜Nuâ€™), funnily enough- which is the same breed of dog as Hachiko.

It was quite the learning experience for both me and my Mother, as she was our first dog- but she never failed to make us laugh or smile. Unfortunately, we came to learn that she was very sick and suffering from kidney failure, which had no cure and was irreversible. The day we learnt that, our heart sank- she was such a happy little dog, who always went out of her way to make our days brighter.

She would always come upstairs on the days I was too ill to get out of bed, so that she could lay with me and keep me company. Even when she was in pain herself, she always put others first- whether it was refusing her walks so that she could stay by my side, or simply putting her paw in my hand or on my shoulder. She licked my tears when I cried and she refused to leave me when others had. She brought me back from the brink, she made me want to fight and get better. I wanted to be able to go out with her on every walk- I wanted her to go on every walk she could and not pass up the chance so that she could lay with me. Bit by bit, I began to try and get stronger and she was there, every step of the way. She walked slowly with me on the days I couldnâ€™t keep up and she waited for me, whilst making sure others did too, if they went too far ahead. On the days she could barely walk, she still insisted on going upstairs to me and she often pulled out of my Mothers embrace, so that she could try to make it to me. If she wasnâ€™t well enough to climb up on the sofa or bed, she would often sit with her head on the side - so that she could lick whatever part of me she could reach (that of course usually resulted in me hobbling out of bed or off of the sofa, so that I could go and lay in her dog bed with her- where we both snuggled up). I had her for just over two and a half amazing years, through which she helped me find the strength and courage to go back in to education and in to college. It was bittersweet, however, for as I was getting stronger, she was getting weaker. It was as I was entering my final year of college, that she sadly began to slip away. She was my guardian angel, my brave little girl. It was honestly like she had been there as my angel, to help me not give up. She was put to sleep, during which I was there- holding her close and cradling her head in my arms. I thanked her for everything she had done for me, I apologized for not being able to save her and I made sure to repeat to her just how much I loved her. During her final moments and as I whispered my words to her, she lifted her head and turned to me- so that she could gaze at me one last time with her big, gentle, brown eyes. She also placed her paw in the palm of my hand as she done so, before slowly lowering her head to my arm, so that she could cross over the rainbow bridge. When she passed on, a bit of me left with her.

I am still not a hundred percent health-wise, but thanks to her and the love she gave- as well as her friendship and care, I am doing a lot better. She helped me and she was a true friend, where those who I thought were, had failed me. Her legacy lives on in Scarlett, a brindle Boxer I adopted around Christmas, quite a few years ago now! She is full of life and never fails to make me smile or laugh. She too is equally as caring and will often bring one of her toys, or curl up closely to those around her on days where they are not feeling well.

Iâ€™ll never forget Kita, or what she did for me- because she has done so much more than what I have told. She has given so much to me and taught me a lot and I will forever keep her in my heart and memories- with the hope that I will see her, my dearest friend, again one day.

Dogs and animals in general are never just a pet- they become so much more and give so much more. They give true love and loyalty, they do not judge and they do not give up or forget the love that they give.