There's nothing that compares to a dog's love. Their loyalty and dedication to their owners knows no bounds. Need proof?
In the southwestern city of Chongqing, China, an elderly dog named Xiongxiong (which aptly translates to "Little Bear") waits at a train station all day for his human, who has not been named, to come home.
The 15-year-old shaggy beast has been living with his human for about eight years, and it's clear their love is real.
Every day, he, collarless, sits on the ground by the entrance to the subway, and waits about 12 hours for his human to return. Local residents say that the dog is very friendly and is very amenable to getting pats on the head while he performs his daily duties, so he's become a local fixture in the area.
"He won't eat anything you give him," one local told the BBC. "He appears around seven or eight o'clock every day, when his owner goes to work… and he waits, he just waits really happily."
After a video of him waiting patiently went viral on Chinese social media, people have been traveling to see the very good boy themselves, taking pictures and giving him snuggles.
Like most dogs, Xiongxiong is like a mini life guru, reminding people of the good and kindness that exists in this sometimes dark world.
"This is a very touching affair," one social media user wrote. "We can draw so much morality from this."
If his story sounds familiar, it's because it bears a resemblance to the touching tale of Hachiko, an Akita who continued to wait for his owner at the train station even though his human died in 1925, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while giving a lecture at Tokyo Imperial University. Every day, for nine years, nine months and fifteen days, Hachiko would come to the train station at the precise moment that his human was due to come home, waiting patiently for his return. He became a national sensation and a symbol of family loyalty, and a bronze statue of him was erected at Shibuya station. While the original had to be recycled for war efforts during World War II, a similar statue was erected in 1948. It stands there to this day.
This beautiful #dog who waited 9 years for his owner makes me appreciate #dogs so much more than I already do 🐶 this amazing #akita was the ultimate #goodboy and a personal #hero #hachiko means #loyalty & #friendship 🌸 #tokyo #tokyocity #japan #hachikostatue #akitadog #akitainu pic.twitter.com/WbQdOtGbBP
— Mel🐺Creek🌸 (@creek_mel) May 3, 2018
His story was also apparently adapted into a 2009 American film called Hachi: A Dog's Tale, starring Richard Gere. And if you want to experience this kind of love yourself, check out the 15 Amazing Benefits of Adopting a Pet.
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