A quick heads-up, this isn't the usual happy dog story - you might want to bookmark and read this post later if you're sensitive, or at work. I thought I'd mention this just in case...

But do come back and read it - especially if you, or a family member has a elderly family member or companion in your life.

With that being said, please read on...

I bring you a couple of heartbreaking stories of companions waiting for the owners to return in vain - in vain, sadly as their owners had passed away.

The first comes from Shibuya, Tokyo and the second comes far earlier, in the nineteenth century from Edinburgh, Scotland.

The area of Shibuya is synonymous with two things, a busy road crossing and Hachikō an Akita dog from the early twentieth century.

Hachikō used to wait every day at the rail station for his master, Hidesaburō Ueno, to come back from the university where he taught. But one day, May 21 1925 his owner didn't return as he had passed away at work.

As Hachikō never saw his master return from work, he used to wait for his beloved master to return each day. Each day he was disappointed. Hachikōs presence each day at the station was not welcomed by staff, but this changed after a newspaper ran a piece about hid plight and his loyalty.

Thanks to this, Hachikō became a sensation in his lifetime, fed treats and given the attention he deserved from strangers. But still his plight carried on.

Becoming a furry star in his own lifetime, a statue was commissioned and erected to commemorate the dog and to keep the story alive.

Alive the story is - possibly even more so in our age. If you come close to Shibuya station you can still visit his statue in Tokyo.

In fact, it's so popular you will no foubt have to wait to take a photo, as I was lucky enough to do so, as a small crowd of people will no doubt be waiting to get their chance to be photographed next to the loyal dog's statue.

In fact, as mentioned earlier, Shibuya is now synonymous with both the tale and the Akita dog breed. You'll see images of Akita dogs all around popular Shibuya. A testament to how the story has resonated with people.

In Scotland, this nine year wait is eclipsed by the tale of Greyfriars Bobby; who is said to have waited even longer - fourteen years for his owner's return, in vain.

As in Tokyo, a statue has been erected to remember this loyal dog too.

The story goes that in 1858, Greyfriars Bobby's owner, John Gray, died and was buried in the part of Edinburgh that they lived. It is said that the dog was said never to leave the churchyard, dying fourteen years later at hid master's grave.

Details of this story are uncertain, especially as this happened so long ago, might have been elaborated upon. Therefore the details of this story are hard to verify. The details of the story have been questioned and discussed since the end of the nineteenth century in fact.

What isn't questioned though is whether dogs miss their owners - any person who's stayed away from their companion for even a little time will attest to the fact that they can miss their human (or animal) friend so much.

So, is there a solution to this problem?

The simplest, but easily overlooked solution is to allow our furry companion to experience the person (or another companion animal) after they have passed away.

One might shy away from this, especially in our age where youth is everything and old-age and death are barely spoken about, but it might be in you and your friend's best interest to take the time to do this - it ultimately could prevent years of extended and unnecessary grief if you remember to do so. 🐶💕