by SE Mathews

Created on: December 22, 2008

Like children, it doesn't seem fair to have a favorite pet over another as each pet as his or her own personality and needs, but sometimes, there is a pet that just acts special, feels special, is special. It does not matter how long you have had the pet. It only matters that the pet has wormed his or her way into your heart and made a home there.

So it was with Hachiko. Hachiko was a purebred tenterfield terrier. She was bought on a whim. I had gone to the local pet breeder to find out more information on the shiba inu. While waiting for one of the handlers to speak with me, I saw this tiny black and white puppy sitting in a cage all alone with a sign that announced it was on sale.

The puppy's eyes were so bright and playful that I could not resist asking if I could see the puppy.

When the employee placed the little puppy in my hand, the puppy was literally in one hand. She was that small. I had never held a dog that small as I had always had medium to large sized dogs.

Yet, the little thing was a bundle of energy and muscle as she ran around the partitioned section where I was able to handle her and, doom of doom, bond with her.

From those fifteen minutes spent with her in that partition, I was already calling her 'Hachiko' after one of my favorite manga characters and the legendary Hachiko, the loyal dog who has a statue outside of Shibuya train station in Japan.

As she ran around me and cuddled and snuggled, I knew it was love.

When I brought her home, my son's first words when he saw her big ears pop up were, "What were you thinking?" Then he saw the way she snuggled into me and he rolled his eyes as he grumbled, "I hope I don't step on her."

It took my son longer to warm up to Hachi than I had. She was a lot more mischievous with him than she was with me. She definitely played the good cop/bad cop game with us.

By six months though, he was hooked too. Hard not to get hooked when Hachi was so loving and attentive. She loved to play like a cat when chasing a ball. She enjoyed riding in the car or walking to nowhere special. She absolutely adored to be snuggled and cuddled. In fact, she acted more like a baby than a real baby. Upon witnessing her behavior, my cousin remarked, "This is the trippiest dog I've ever met. She's so sweet and loving it is unreal."

Never have I had a pet that was quite like Hachiko. I had been told that when a pet loves, he or she loves unconditionally. I had never experienced that kind of love because I was usually the one who just fed the

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>