Hachiko at Night: Waiting in the Rain

Hachiko at Night: Waiting in the Rain, originally uploaded by jpellgen.

"In 1924, Hachikō was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life Hachikō saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno didn't return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered a stroke at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting.
Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. After time, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for Professor Ueno to return. And each day he didn't see his friend among the commuters at the station.
The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. Realizing that Hachikō waited in vigil for his dead master, their hearts were touched. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.
This continued for 10 years, with Hachikō appearing only in the evening time, precisely when the train was due at the station.
...
In April 1934, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling. The statue was recycled for the war effort during World War II. After the war, Hachikō was not forgotten. In 1948 The Society for Recreating the Hachikō Statue commissioned Takeshi Ando, son of the original artist who had since died, to make a second statue. The new statue, which was erected in August 1948, still stands and is an extremely popular meeting spot. "
(wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiko

The loyalty of this dog was special enough--just as special is the fact that a society valued this phenomenon enough to permanently commemorate such a sad and beautiful display of love.

she can be in bonnieverse because i am in love with her. her friends too.

"free hugs"

this dude had a sign around his neck at the arcata farmer's market advertising free hugs.

he was wearing soft, clean, white linen and gave the least creepy most sincere hug i've ever had.

bonnieverse resembles arcata, california quite a bit. where else would someone shout out of their car window: "you're beautiful! don't ever change!" to a complete stranger? never in my life have i felt such warmth and support from every single person i met or didn't meet.