Unconditional
We often ignore them, fail or forget to feed and water them, leave them outside, expose them to excessive heat and cold, tie them to trees with chains, and sometimes, we are brutal to these gentle beings.
Still, they wag their tails when we pass them by, desperately seeking our attention.
We call them dogs, and our language frequently co-opts that name, sometimes in a demeaning way, with phrases such as: “Sicker than a dog,” “Barking up the wrong tree,” “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” “A dog and pony show,” “Dog eat dog world,” and, of course, “underdog.” Most, if not all, of these phrases are pejorative.
There is one other catchy canine phrase, but, dog gone it, I cannot remember it.
On a warm August morning in 2004, I joined a dog rescue group to visit a barn in north-central Ohio. An anonymous caller had tipped off the dedicated group that a known dog hoarder had rented a hog barn at a farm just outside Ashland. Moreover, she was collecting and warehousing dogs in the barn and not providing adequate food and water.
But it was more disturbing than that.
As soon as we opened the van’s door, the unmistakable stench of dog feces and death washed over us, filling our lungs. One of the women ran behind the barn gagging, but the nauseating smell was only a hint of the horror we were about to witness.
We swung the doors open as the barn owner watched unemotionally from a distance away. When our eyes adjusted to the gloom of the windowless barn, we were appalled to find over 60 mixed-breed dogs thrown together in an area covered with several inches of pig and dog feces.
The well-intentioned hoarder was broadcasting dry dog food on the animal waste. In one corner of the pen, we found the remains of two cannibalized dogs.
We managed to get all the dogs out, but two who ferociously resisted our attempts to get them into crates. We heard later that the traumatized pair couldn’t be rehabilitated and were euthanized.
The rest of the dogs were amenable to training, so with lots of love, tenderness, and veterinary care, all of the remaining dogs were eventually fostered or adopted.
Author’s note: A dog-hoarder is not just someone with a large number of dogs; rather, the animals do not receive adequate food, water, or veterinary care and are living in unhealthy conditions. Dog hoarders generally suffer from some form of mental illness.
Life is tough for many cats and dogs. People purchase pets without understanding their needs, and these poor creatures are either dumped along the highway or taken to an animal shelter, where they may or may not end up in a loving home.
Several years ago, police in Ohio arrested a couple when they brought their golden retriever to a vet to have it put down. Was this beautiful and loving creature suffering from some injury or illness?
No, they wanted to go on a month-long cruise and didn’t want to be burdened with finding someone to care for their dog while they ate fancy food and danced on the top deck. Nice folks, huh?
When asked where we obtained our dogs, we enthusiastically and just a tad self-righteously might reply, “Rover is a rescue dog.” And yes, if you bring a dog home from a shelter, taking one that needs your love and attention is an act of kindness. Good on you.
But what about when dogs rescue us?
It happens, and we are about to venture into a fascinating and heartwarming case in which a dog saved a three-year-old girl who had been lost in Siberia’s Taiga forests for 11 days. Then, we will discuss two dogs demonstrating extraordinary loyalty to their human caretakers, even after the humans died.
The Amazing Adventure of little Karina Chikitova
Author’s note: Like many stories reported in the media, Karina’s story contains discrepancies, so this author relied upon the integrity of the event as reported by the Russian search party, which witnessed it firsthand.
Our planet is quickly running out of areas that could be called wilderness in the strictest sense. Siberia extends over five million square miles, an area one-third larger than the United States. Most of Siberia is considered wilderness, and some areas are still unexplored.
Three-year-old Karina Chikitova, a Mowli, a Native Siberian, lives in a remote village called Olam in the densely forested Taiga region. With just a handful of residents, this tiny hamlet is a peaceful home for Karina and her parents.
Despite her few years of life, Karina was wilderness-savvy and knew many edible plants. And that skill was about to be tested.
One morning in late July 2014, Karina’s father set out through the forest to a job waiting for him in another village some distance away. Unbeknownst to her parents, Karina and her Malamute puppy, Naida, searched for her father in the bear and wolf-dense forests beyond her village.
It was only a short time before Karina and Naida were hopelessly lost. This area of Siberia has some of the lowest temperatures ever recorded on Earth. Even in summer, nighttime temperatures rarely get above freezing.
It would be four full days before little Karina’s parents realized she was missing. Her father had no idea Karina was attempting to follow him, and her mother thought that the tyke had accompanied her father to his fire-fighting job.
Local hunters and members of the Russian special forces immediately started searching the forests and marshes in the direction her father had taken, believing that Karina had indeed tried to follow him.
The dog slept close to Karina, keeping her warm with his body heat and barking to keep wild animals at bay. During the day, she would forage for blueberries and drink from the streams.
On day ten of Karina’s ordeal, her puppy returned to her village. The searchers first thought his appearance was a bad sign; perhaps the child had died, and Naida had left her. But the malamute’s body language indicated otherwise – Naida was encouraging the searchers to follow him.
Searchers immediately resumed looking for Karina on foot and by helicopter. Finding the little girl was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack; the tall marsh grasses obscured the ground.
Searchers soon found her bare footprint on a stream bank, indicating that she had been there and had abandoned her shoes, which must have made walking in the forest quite painful.
Then it happened; a searcher saw a tiny arm sticking up from the marsh grass; it was Karina. She was hungry, thirsty, and covered with mosquito bites, but she was alive and wanted her dog.
Karina’s strong will to live and cool head helped her survive her ordeal. However, she would unlikely have survived the brutally cold nights without Naida. There is no doubt that the young malamute returned to her village to bring help to Karina. Likewise, Naida and Karina are now part of Siberian folklore.
Karina is now a star ballerina studying English but has avoided much of the spotlight. Like many Siberians, she is modest and brave. One would have to be level-headed and possess great courage to survive such a long period in the bear-infested forests of the Taiga.
Hachiko 1923 – 1935
It’s time to leave Siberia’s wilds and travel to a far more populated country—Japan. Here, we’ll meet a dog named Hachiko and learn about his incredible display of loyalty to his caretaker, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno.
Hachiko, a 90-pound Akita, walked to the Shibuya Train Station every afternoon to await Professor Ueno’s return from Tokyo Imperial University.
On May 21, 1925, Hachiko went to the train station as usual, but Professor Ueno failed to step off the train. Unknown to the dog, the professor had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died during his lecture.
Beginning that day and every day afterward for nearly 10 years, Hachiko went to the train station every afternoon, waiting in vain for his caretaker to come home.
In the Japanese mindset, Hachiko represents something they hold dear – loyalty. Hachiko died in 1935, and by popular demand, a bronze statue of him now stands where he waited each afternoon at the Shibuya Train Station.
In 1994, researchers found a 78 rpm recording of Hackiko’s bark, and when played on the radio, millions of Japanese experienced hearing their canine hero’s voice.
Greyfriars Bobby 1855 – 1872
We’ll now catch a KLM flight from Tokyo to Edinburgh, Scotland, almost six thousand miles away. Here, we’ll visit the grave of another extraordinary dog.
Constable John Gray of the Edinburgh City Police was required to have a dog with him on his night patrols. He chose a Skye Terrier, who came to be called Greyfriars Bobby, to accompany him on his rounds.
After all, Scotland is known for its many terrier breeds, including Scotties, West Highland White Terriers, Cairn Terriers, and the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, all known for their intelligence and sense of loyalty.
Neither Constable Gray nor anyone else would have believed the depth of Bobby’s love and devotion to his caretaker.
Constable John Gray passed away in 1858, leaving Bobby behind. Although various people ensured that Bobby was fed and cared for, he slept on Gray’s grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard, a cemetery in the old town of Edinburgh, every night for nearly 14 years.
Greyfriars Bobby died on January 14, 1872. Edinburgh’s City Council commemorated Bobby’s except- ional loyalty with a bronze statue of him situated beside Gray’s grave.
Scotland is proud of its many heroes, and Greyfriars Bobby, a dog, is in the upper echelons of treasured figures like William Wallace, Rob Roy and Mary, Queen of Scots.
Amazing stories about dogs are told throughout the world. We are reminded from time to time that we are not the only creatures on Earth capable of love, selfless acts and incredible loyalty.
I sometimes wonder if we humans deserve such love and loyalty. We are not there yet, but maybe someday, in a much kinder world.
Until next time,
ken Springer
ken1949bongo@gmail.com