“A dog is a man’s best friend” is a common English saying because they are more loyal than all other animals, and some say they are more loyal than people too. Dogs and humans have lived under the same roof for 15,000 years. Recently a dog named Capitan has shown us why dogs are such an iconic symbol of loyalty and friendship around the world.
In 2005, Capitan was adopted by a man named Miguel Guzman in Argentina. Miguel got Capitan as a gift for his son Damian. In 2006, Miguel passed away, and soon after, Capitan disappeared. They thought he was lost or had been adopted by another family. When Damian and his mother went to the cemetery to visit Miguel’s grave, lo and behold, there was Capitan. They couldn’t believe it because they had never brought Capitan to the cemetery before. They didn’t know how he had found the grave, but the dog was there barking and crying. Miguel’s widow said, “We went back the next Sunday, and he was there again. This time, he followed us home and spent a bit of time with us, but then went back to the cemetery before it started getting dark. I don’t think he wanted to leave Miguel on his own at night.”
They tried to bring the dog home many times, but each time Capitan would run away again and return to the cemetery. For eleven years, he lived at the cemetery and was taken care of by the cemetery staff. They said that Capitan walked around in the day, but every day at 6 pm, he returned to Miguel’s grave and stayed until morning. In 2018, Capitan’s long vigil ended. According to a report by Agencia EFE, clearance was being sought to have the animal laid to rest in the same cemetery with the master he so loved.
Capitan’s loyalty echoes the story of Hachiko, a dog who was also loyal to her owner, even long after he passed away. In 1924, Hachiko was adopted by her owner, a man named Ueno, who was a university professor. Every day Hachiko would wait at Shibuya station for Professor Ueno to return home from his job at the University of Tokyo at 4:00 sharp. In 1925, Professor Ueno died, but Hachiko kept returning every day at 4:00 to look for her owner. The station staff took care of Hachiko, but every day like clockwork, she would go out to the train tracks at the same time to look for Professor Ueno coming home. This continued for ten years until Hachiko’s death in 1935. They made a statue of Hachiko in front of Shibuya station, and to this day, she is still a Japanese symbol of loyalty.
Hachiko’s funeral: Photo provided by Shibuya Folk and Literary Shirane Memorial Museum
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik?
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hachiko_monogatari_2011
https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dog-stands-guard-over-deceased-owner-grave-six-190556479.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5418077/Peace-dog-slept-masters-grave.html
https://www.efe.com/efe/english/life/dog-who-guarded-owner-s-grave-for-a-decade-dies/50000263-3530160
“A dog is a man’s best friend.” They are more loyal than all other animals. Some say they are more loyal than people too. Dogs and humans have lived under the same roof for 15,000 years. A dog named Capitan has shown us why dogs are such a symbol of loyalty and friendship around the world.
In 2005, Capitan was adopted by a man named Miguel Guzman in Argentina. Miguel got Capitan as a gift for his son Damian. In 2006 Miguel passed away, and soon after, Capitan disappeared. They thought he was lost or had been adopted by another family. When Damian and his mother went to visit Miguel’s grave, lo and behold, there was Capitan. They couldn’t believe it. Capitan had never been to the graveyard before. They didn’t know how he had found the grave, but the dog was there barking and crying. Miguel’s widow said, “We went back the next Sunday, and he was there again.” Capitan followed them home, but then went back to the graveyard before it started getting dark. She said, “I don’t think he wanted to leave Miguel on his own at night.”
They tried to bring the dog home many times, but each time Capitan would run away again and return to the graveyard. For eleven years, he lived at the graveyard and was taken care of by the graveyard workers. They said that Capitan walked around in the day. But every day at 6 PM, he returned to Miguel’s grave and stayed until morning. In 2018, Capitan’s long wait ended. Permission was being requested to have the animal laid to rest in the same graveyard with the master he so loved.
Capitan’s loyalty is similar to the story of Hachiko. She was a dog who was also loyal to her owner, even long after he passed away. In 1924, Hachiko was adopted by her owner, a man named Ueno, who was a university professor. Every day Hachiko would wait at Shibuya station for Professor Ueno to return home from his job at 4:00 sharp. In 1925, Professor Ueno died. But Hachiko kept returning every day at 4:00 to look for her owner. The station workers took care of Hachiko. Every day like clockwork, she would go out to the train tracks at the same time to look for Professor Ueno. This continued for ten years until Hachiko’s death in 1935. They made a statue of Hachiko in front of Shibuya station. To this day, she is still a Japanese symbol of loyalty.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik?
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hachiko_monogatari_2011
https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dog-stands-guard-over-deceased-owner-grave-six-190556479.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5418077/Peace-dog-slept-masters-grave.html
https://www.efe.com/efe/english/life/dog-who-guarded-owner-s-grave-for-a-decade-dies/50000263-3530160
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