Spot, the American Hachiko
In June 2010, Wayne Giroux, a lawn mower shop owner, was in a car accident and was killed by a drunk driver. He had lived in Texas with his son, Paul and dog, Spot, and was 61 when he died…
Also in June 2010, I had written about a dog in Japan, named Hachiko who taught and still teaches people the meaning of friendship and loyalty. Every day, Hachiko would go to the same spot at the train station to wait for his owner… until one day, his owner died whilst at work and did not return.
Hachiko still continued going to the same spot every day for the next 9 years! This happened in 1925.
85 years later, the same example of friendship and loyalty can be seen in Spot. For the past few months, Spot still sits on the main road waiting for Wayne to drive back home. Whenever Paul sees him there, he gets saddened because he knows what Spot is doing. He says, “I have no doubt that’s what that dog is waiting for. It breaks my heart every time I go out there.”
We can teach our dogs to sit, stay, roll over and not to bite on the wires etc… but the dog is clearly better at teaching us about friendship and loyalty…
Do watch the video below about the American Hachiko, Spot. It’s very heartbreaking to watch her so lost..
Tsem Rinpoche
Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/dog_remains_faithful.flv
heartbreaking indeed!thanks.
Poor Spot
All because of a drunk driver…. Why was the driver drunk? maybe they had a bad day at work, someone had complained about them or something…. why was a complaint made? maybe someone just wanted to get something for free as compensation or something…. why did they want something? maybe they had a demanding partner or child…. Why was the child demanding? maybe they were teased at school for not following fashion or something…. Why where they teased? maybe their classmate had low self esteem from their parents treatment or something…. Why, etc, etc.
Its frightening how all our actions have consequences, seen and unseen, its a lesson to be mindful in all our actions i think.
Jon
When young, i used to visit my uncle’s grave in the Western Road Christian Cemetery, Penang. i was told the story of a dog which grieved over the grave of its owner until it died on the very spot – there was even a marble statue of a dog on the grave.
We should teasure good geniune friends,our family, our parents,our siblings even our Guru
Thankyou for teaching us with so much patience & compassiond
It is really amazing how these dogs can be so loyal to their owners or more appropriately, FRIENDS.
If only we human beings can be this loyal. Many people I know cannot. Even me myself.
Wayne owns a Lawnmower shop which was taken over and run by his son Paul after learning the trade. With them is the faithful and loyal dog Spot who is a friend and companion especially to Wayne. Everyday Spot would wait by the highway for Wayne to return. But a few months ago Wayne was killed by a drunk driver. Whether Spot knows whether his master has passed away and will not be returning. Spot will still be waiting on the highway for Wayne not knowing he will not see his master again. We may not know how Spot feels but one thing for sure he must have misses his master Wayne. And do not want to erase the memory of waiting for his master and friend everyday. A touching story of a teaching of loyalty and faithfullness to friend. A similar story of the Hachiko in Japan.