A dog’s love knows no bounds or borders.

Hachiko the loyal Akita dog is one of the most well-known stories to come out of Japan. Back in the 1920s, Hachiko would wait for his master every day at Shibuya Station, until the day his master died before he could make it back. Still, Hachiko continued to wait, day after day, until the dog finally died a decade later.

It’s a heartbreaking story, but one that exemplifies fierce loyalty no matter what. To this day, Hachiko’s memory lives on as a statue right outside Shibuya Station, and is one of the most popular meetup places in Japan.

▼ It’s so popular, even the cats use it.

And now it also seems the spirit of Hachiko is living on in a completely different part of the world: Spain.

On August 28, 22-year-old Spanish woman Sandra Iniesta was rushed to the hospital with severe stomach pain and underwent emergency surgery to have her appendix removed. She was accompanied by her father and two-year-old Japanese Akita dog Maya, and even when Sandra was declared to be doing well in recovery, Maya refused to leave the hospital entrance.

▼ Maya waiting outside the hospital.

▼ Here’s a video showing Maya waiting, refusing to go home,
and getting lots of attention for her patience and loyalty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRx8BH0lvI0

Sandra’s father attempted to get Maya into the car so they could go home and leave Sandra to rest, but the dog would not budge from the hospital doors. The father said that: “Maya is a member of the family. She knows that all we can do is patiently wait to see what happens to Sandra.”

For six days Maya waited outside the hospital, becoming somewhat of a celebrity with the hospital staff and patients, until Sandra was finally released. We can only assume there was lots of tail-wagging and happy barking to be had.

▼ Dramatic reenactment

Six days may not be as long as ten years, but when it comes to Akita dog loyalty, it’s not the quantity of the days that count, but the quality of the love.

Source: livedoor NEWS via Naver Matome
Featured/top image: Twitter/@mayahime0522