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Belka reportedly would run away after her owners’ parents took her home and continually came back to the place as if expecting his return.
Loyal dog’s wait reminds us of Hachiko’s legacy. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
The story of a Russian dog named Belka has melted the hearts of pet lovers all over the world. The tale began when the dog’s owner succumbed in a tragic accident while cycling along the Ufa River in Bashkortostan after thin ice broke beneath him. The ice was not strong enough to sustain the 59-year-old man’s weight – hence, he drowned despite the efforts of nearby people who tried to save him. His body was recovered by the rescue teams downstream after days of search.
Belka demonstrated remarkable loyalty by staying at the same location for four days, where her owner had drowned, Daily Mail reported. Belka would run away after her owner’s parents took her home and continually came back to the place as if expecting his return.
Brut America posted the story of the incident on their Instagram handle. The emotional appeal of Balka’s story struck a chord with users with some commenting “We don’t deserve dogs” and “Dogs are angels on earth”.
“I’m not crying, you are!” a user commented. Another user said, “What a purest form of love these angels are….we seriously don’t deserve them…. God’s best creation are these lovely souls who teach us the actual meaning of love.”
According to the local media, Belka only fled the scene after she was taken home to witness the lifeless body of her owner that was retrieved from the riverbed.
The dog’s loyalty and dedication have drawn parallels with the Japanese dog, Hachiko, who waited for its owner at a train station for several years after he passed away. According to Professor Christine Yano of the University of Hawaii, who spoke to BBC, Hachiko’s “unquestioning devotion” embodies the “ideal Japanese citizen.”
The owner of Hachiko, Hidesaburo Ueno, a famous agricultural professor, used to commute by train. Hachiko escorted him to Shibuya station. Then, it would wait there until the professor returned in the evening.
Ueno, 53 at the time, passed away from a brain haemorrhage on May 21, 1925. Over the course of the following several months, Hachiko lived with many families outside of Shibuya before meeting Kikusaburo Kobayashi, a gardener for Ueno.
After moving back to the neighbourhood where his late owner had resided, Hachiko soon started making the daily trip to the station. Hachiko died on March 8, 1935. A memorial service for Hachiko is conducted outside Shibuya Station on April 8 of each year.
