Heartbreaking ‘Dogs Tale’ Makes Grown Men Cry
When Richard Gere first read the script for “Hachi: A Dogs Tale”, he admittedly “cried like a baby.” Most everyone who sees the movfie, or even just hears the story, is touched on a deep, emotional level. Amazon.com user reviews of the DVD brim with similar confessions. One viewer writes, “I can only warn you to have plenty of tissues on hand because you are going to cry…a lot! I am a fifty year-old ‘grumpy old man’, but I bawled like a baby for nearly half an hour after watching this film.”
“Hachi: A Dogs Tale” is the true story of the unbreakable bond of loyalty and love between a dog and his master. Hachiko’s actions are compelled by a level of fidelity nearly incomprehensible to most people, but for a dog perhaps not so surprising. He waits eagerly at the train station each day for his master’s return from work and it is clear that his master feels the same enthusiastic anticipation at these daily reunions. One day his master does not return. He has in fact passed away and will never return. Hachiko remains at the station, day after day, year after year, dutifully waiting. Bystanders are amazed by Hachiko’s loyalty and saddened by his plight. They even try to explain what happened, but how do you communicate such an idea to a dog? Only after his own death, years later, does Hachiko go home. The dog and his master are finally reunited.
Why are people drawn to such a sad tale? Maybe because so many of us are taught to suppress our feelings of sadness, hide our tears, present a happy face. Love and sorrow are the deepest emotions we have. Many refer to “a good cry” as a cleansing, emotional release. It is a relief for us to be able to cry and to feel sad. It is one of the greatest reminders that we are human. Hachiko’s story is one of the saddest ever told – hearing of it or seeing the film gives us the permission to experience that deep level of sorrow we might normally run from. Yet Hachiko’s story is also one of the most inspirational ever told. Even 70 years after Hachiko’s death, his loyalty and affection for his master still makes people realize that love transcends all boundaries.
Tragedies often drive us apart, forcing us to make hard choices and perhaps even leave behind the ones who need us most. Following the recent, catastrophic earthquake in Fukushima, many beloved pets and animals had to be left behind. Like Hachiko, these animals wait dutifully for the return of their masters. Unfortunately, while they wait, they are dying from lack of water, food and care. Vicki Wong and The Hachiko Coalition are volunteers determined to respect the love and loyalty of these animals. They are working to find and care for these pets until they can be reunited with their masters, but time is their enemy and they need your help.
If the story of Hachiko teaches us anything, it is that animals are much smarter and feel emotions on a much deeper level than we may believe. They give us so much, everyday and for no other reason than pure love. They need us now – right now – let’s give that love and loyalty back to them.
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