An Akita dog, Hachikō continued to grieve for his owner, showing his loyalty, following an unexpected death. His owner was a professor named Ueno. Every day, Hachiko would wait for Ueno to return from work by meeting him at the Shibuya Station in Tokyo, Japan. Ueno one day died of a brain hemorrhage on the way home. Hachiko continued to go to the station each day at the normal time waiting for his owner to return. He continues to do this for almost ten years, which means that even though Hachiko is smart enough to know that Ueno would most likely not return, his emotional bond to him keeps his hopes up and so he continues to grieve by doing something that connected the both of them, and that was the train station.
Through various studies, it has been proven that dogs are able to mourn humans just like humans can mourn dogs. Dogs have varying responses to death or loss just like humans do. The most common signs of mourning are physical sadness or negative behavior, although some may not show and evident emotional reaction (Kenney). Dogs can also show signs of depression which usually elongates their stage of mourning. Physical signs of mourning include a loss of appetite, slow responses, loss of interest in playtime or any kind of physical activity (Kenney). In addition, some dogs are able to have “mournful howls”. In general, these symptoms will increase over time which could be in weeks or even months (Kenney). However if it becomes an extremely long period of time, it is recommended that a human take the dog to see a vet. For humans to help dogs during their mourning processes they must stay patient and understanding and could participate in routine activities to guide the dog through each day as part of the “transitional process”.
Works Cited:
Kenney, Shawna. “Dogs Mourning Humans.” Cesar's Way, Cesar's Way, 4 Dec. 2015,
www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/problem-behaviors/dogs-mourning-humans.
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