One of the best qualities we value most in dogs is their unwavering loyalty. We see it when they cry because of a long separation from us or, conversely, happily run around in circles when we return home. However, there are dogs that display loyalty on a completely different level. By April 8 – Hachiko Memorial Day – we will tell in some of them.
Border Collie Russup
Source: Anthony James Whewell
Rassap, a 14-year-old dog with his owner, Graeme Nuttall from Wales (UK), was very fond of traveling and often went hiking on the mountainside of Burnley.
In January 1990, neighbors noticed that Graham and Russup had gone into the mountains and never returned. They reported the disappearance of the man to rescuers. For the next week, a search party combed the area for Nuttall and his dog… but to no avail.
Eleven weeks later, another traveler, David Clark, found Nuttall’s body near a mountain stream. What was surprising – Rassap was also there. All this time, the faithful dog did not leave the frozen body of the owner.
For Rassap, the owner’s death was a severe blow. Without an owner, the border collie did not live long – he died shortly after the funeral of his man.
In 2009, local residents decided to perpetuate the memory of the dog and installed a bronze statue of Rassap at Garsdale station (England).
Loyal dog Leao from Brazil
Source: Getty
In 2011, a severe flood occurred near Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The element claimed the lives of at least 600 residents. One of them was Cristina Cesario Maria Santana, who died along with her family.
The only surviving member of the family was their dog Leao (translated from Portuguese – “lion”). As the rescuers searched the area for survivors, they came across Leao, who was desperately trying to dig up the ground. Coming closer, the rescuers found the bodies of its owners.
Even when the remains were pulled out and buried, Leao did not want to leave them. He sat for weeks at the graves of his family members, until the Brazilian animal protection organization ONG Estimacao decided to help him.
Faithful dog Fido from Italy
Source: Sailko
In 1941, brick factory worker Carlo Soriani from Borgo San Lorenzo (Italy) found a wounded dog on the side of the road. Carlo could not get past the animal – he took him home, named him Fido (which means “faithful” in Latin), and together with his wife gradually cured the dog.
Despite the difficult past, Fido quickly became attached to the man. Soon after recovering, the dog began to follow his owner everywhere. And even when Carlo went to work in the morning, Fido always went with him to the bus station and waited there until the owner returned from work.
This went on for two years, until one day at the factory where Soriani worked, there was a shelling. Unfortunately, Soriani died, but his faithful dog Fido did not know about it. For the next 14 years of his life, until his death, the dog came to the bus station every day in the hope of seeing his beloved owner again.
A year before the dog’s death, a monument in honor of Fido was erected in the town square. And when the dog died, the whole country heard its story – Fido’s devotion was written on the front pages of newspapers throughout the country.
German Shepherd Captain
Source: Reyn’s Room
In 2005, Miguel adopted a German Shepherd puppy and named him Captain. Unfortunately, they did not live together for long – a year later Miguel died. However, during this time the dog became very close to the man. They have developed a strong bond. And even the death of the owner could not destroy it.
When Miguel passed away, his family took the dog, but shortly after the funeral, the Captain disappeared. For months, no one knew where the dog had gone until an employee at the cemetery where Miguel was buried discovered the dog lying on the man’s grave.
The family was shocked, because the distance between their house and the cemetery was rather big, not to mention the ability of the Captain to find it. So for the next 12 years, the shepherd dog lived in the cemetery and its environs.
The caretakers themselves brought food and water to the Captain. According to them, every evening at exactly 18:00, the dog came to the grave of a person, lay there all night – and so on until his death in 2018.
The captain showed that there are no boundaries for dog love and devotion.
Loving dog Canelo
Source: For Animals
In the late 1980s, an elderly Spaniard traveled once a week to the nearest hospital in Cadiz for dialysis. Every visit he took his faithful friend Canelo with him. Since animals were not allowed into the clinic, Canelo sat at the door and waited until the procedure was completed. When the owner went out into the street, the dog joyfully met him and they returned home together.
Once in the hospital, the man became ill. He began to have complications, and the doctors could not save him. However, Canelo did not understand anything. He sincerely continued to wait for the owner outside. And he waited for the next 12 years until his death outside the hospital doors.
All these years, neighbors and locals brought the dog food and water. People were so moved by his loyalty and dedication that they named an alley after Canelo and erected a plaque in memory of the dog.
Source credit: https://pets.mail.ru/stories/
