Dog waiting outside Kerala hospital for dead owner reminds internet of Japan's Hachiko

Internet was reminded of Hachiko, the dog who waited for his master outside Shibuya Station in Tokyo for nine years. (Image: @AN/X)

There’s a saying “Dogs are man’s best friend” and this was further proved by a pooch waiting for his deceased owner outside a hospital. The furry being has been waiting for his owner outside the Kannur District Hospital since the past four months and doesn’t know that he has died. A video of the same has surfaced online and social media users were reminded of the popular film “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” after watching the viral clip.

Vikas Kumar, a staff member at the hospital told ANI, “A patient came to the hospital four months ago and the dog had come along with the patient. The patient died and the dog saw the owner being taken to the mortuary...The dog feels that the owner is still here. The dog does not leave this place and has been here for the past four months.”

In the now-viral video, the dog can be seen roaming around the hospital. People outside offered it food as well. According to ANI, the pooch has stationed itself outside the mortuary.

Kumar added that the dog has been living at the hospital and knows how to behave.

#WATCH | Kerala: A faithful dog stationed himself near a hospital's mortuary door in Kannur. The dog's owner is believed to have died at the hospital and been taken to the mortuary. pic.twitter.com/Yt6Hs6NvJt

— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2023

The viral clip garnered a lot of attention and several comments from social media users. Majority of the people reminisced about “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” after looking at the scene. Several others were moved by the dog's gesture.

“Reminds me of Hachiko,” a user wrote. Another user commented, “This broke my heart.”

“Please someone in that area adopt him if you can. It's unfortunate. I fear he will have to live as stray,” a third user remarked. “Only fortunate ones get to experience this bonding,” a fourth user added.

Meanwhile, “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” is based on the real-life story of Hachiko, a dog who waited outside the Shibuya Station in Tokyo for his master to return. His master had died but the loyal friend waited outside the station for nine years until his own death.