Hachiko – An Undying Loyalty

I was a bit reluctant about watching the movie, Hachiko – A Dog’s Story. First of all, I tend to avoid stories featuring animals as the main characters because they usually turn out really bad or really sad. Secondly, I had read the story of Hachiko, the faithful Akita Inu, a couple of years back before my first trip to Japan so I knew that this was not going to be a happy story. But.. I watched it anyway. And thoroughly enjoyed the show (though my eyes were hurting so much from all the crying).

It’s a really simple tale, based on a true story, about a dog’s loyalty to its owner. The trainer and director did a great job in capturing the essence of Hachi’s emotions and demonstrating the beautiful bond between dog and master (played by Richard Gere). The movie was deeply touching and I was bawling my eyes out continuously for the last half hour of the film. My husband, who suggested the film solely based on the poster (and not a man to cry at the movies) was also sobbing like a baby. Ha ha.

If you have pets or are into dogs, you and your kids (it’s a family-friendly film) could do worse than to catch Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (US title). It will make you wanna hug your pets tighter and appreciate them for the companionship they’ve given you. :)

A Cat and A Dog

My cat is at the vet’s office. Well technically it is not my cat. It’s a stray that visits us every now and then for food and company. It hurt its front leg, possibly from a fight with another cat. He has an abscess so that part of his leg is really swollen and he walks with a limp. I’m picking him up later in the evening. We’ll need to care for him for the next week or so. Ah cats! I love them but they cost so much time, money and heartbreaks!

I saw something really cute at the vet’s today — a huge, beautiful Golden Retriever just coming out of anesthesia. Still groggy, the dog attempted to walk and then fell back into a pile of golden, furry cuteness.

The Fragility of Life

Like all our other cats, we didn’t choose to have our Princess, she chose us.

She just appeared at my apartment door one day and slowly eased herself into the house. At first she only stayed for the food but then her stays grew longer and longer. She figured it’s more convenient to take a dump in our bathroom instead of going outside every evening. She also found out that for the small price of a lazy purr there are people willing to massage her royal body. After awhile, she stopped going outdoors and without realising it, we had unknowingly signed ourselves to a life of feline servitude.

And today, just as suddenly as she’d arrived, she left.

Rest in peace, dear friend.