Canine Devotion: Tales of Dogs Who Would Not Leave

What It Means for a Dog to Be Faithful

I have been lucky to know many dogs that showed remarkable faithfulness. But what exactly does that quality look like? One aspect involves putting family first. Certain dogs have rescued children in their households even when doing so put their own lives at risk. In the wild, canines will let their pups eat before they do, and when food is scarce, the adults may go without eating at all. Few other animals behave this way.

Another dimension is the drive to come back home regardless of the obstacles. Numerous accounts exist of dogs making long journeys to return to their families, and Bobbie is one example covered in this piece.

Loyalty matters too. Some dogs would guard their people even at the cost of their own lives. I see loyalty and faithfulness as distinct qualities, though the breeds known for loyalty often display faithfulness as well.

Sometimes faithfulness simply means a dog choosing to remain near its owner even after the owner has died. Several such stories appear below.

The Akita is one of the most faithful dog breeds.

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1. Hachiko, the Akita

Decades before the 2009 Richard Gere film brought this dog to widespread attention, most people in the dog world already knew about Hachiko and his devotion. Hachiko belonged to the Akita breed, a large Japanese dog that was nearly extinct when a professor in Japan took him in during 1924.

Every day, Hachiko accompanied Professor Ueno to Shibuya train station when the professor left for work, and returned there in the afternoon to await his return. In 1925, the professor failed to come back one day. He had experienced a cerebral hemorrhage at work and passed away later.

For nine years, Hachiko continued going to the station every afternoon, waiting for his owner to come home from work. His owner never did. Hachi died in Shibuya in 1935. In Japan, Hachiko is remembered as a symbol of faithfulness. He was an exceptional dog, yet many others have shown just as much devotion.

2. Shelby and Capitán: German Shepherd Dogs

Here are two German Shepherds known for their loyalty.

Shelby’s Story

This breed has so many faithfulness stories that I can only include a few. Shelby stands out among them. During the winter of 1999, John and Janet Walderbach put their children to bed and then went to sleep themselves, believing all was well in their home.

The children woke up crying and complaining of headaches, but Janet sent them back to bed and returned to her own, ignoring Shelby’s efforts to rouse her and get her moving. The dog then went to John and stood by the bed barking until he finally got up to let her out.

Shelby refused to leave the house. Her owner tried to force her out, and only after he made it outside and breathed fresh air did he realize he had been disoriented while inside.

John went back in and got his family out. The furnace was leaking carbon monoxide, and staying in bed would have been fatal. Shelby could have gone outside and left them behind, but she stayed and saved their lives instead.

Capitán’s Story

One of the more recent faithfulness stories I have come across involved a dog that somehow located his owner’s grave and has kept watch there.

In 2006, Manuel Guzman died in Cordoba, Argentina. After his burial, his dog Capitán ran away. When Veronica Guzman, his widow, visited her husband’s grave a week later, she discovered the German Shepherd sitting beside it.

The cemetery director feeds the dog, and he occasionally goes home, though he always comes back by evening and sleeps next to his deceased owner. Like Hachiko the Akita, Capitán is waiting.

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_German Shepherd dogs often have jobs that require them to be faithful AND loyal.

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_German Shepherd dogs are faithful wherever they happen to be.

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3. Bobbie, the Collie Mix

This is an old tale, and anyone who knows dogs has likely heard it. The Brazier family of Silverton, Oregon, had a dog that enjoyed car rides and travel. In 1923, Bobbie, a young Collie/English Shepherd cross, accompanied his family on a trip to visit relatives in the Midwest.

When the family stopped at a garage, a pack of stray dogs attacked him—he ran off and became lost. The family placed newspaper ads, offered a reward, and drove around searching. Bobbie was lost in unfamiliar territory.

They assumed he was gone for good, but only six months later, he appeared at their doorstep. The pads on his feet were worn down to the bone, and though he was thin, they identified him by scars he had gotten as a puppy.

Bobbie had covered over 4000 kilometers (2551 miles) to reach his home in Silverton, Oregon. He died in 1927.

Bobbie looked similar to a Border Collie.

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4. Dorado and Golly, the Labrador Retrievers

Here are some loyal Labrador Retrievers.

Dorado the Hero

This remarkable breed has been taking the place of German Shepherds in most seeing-eye programs. When the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11th, a blind computer technician was working alongside his Lab guide dog, Dorado.

Omar, the technician, heard the noise and believed he would not escape the building alive, so he released his dog. Dorado obeyed the command to leave but returned a few minutes later.

Dorado and Omar needed an hour to descend the steps and get out of the building. It collapsed soon after they exited. Only Dorado’s faithfulness had saved Omar’s life.

Three Labradors Save a Life

Another Lab owner was saved by her dogs Golly, Lily, and Double. Tammy Ogle was with her dogs when she flipped her SUV in 2003. She was thrown from the vehicle, her head was injured, and she lost consciousness.

The dogs were unharmed. Double stayed with her while Lily and Golly ran to the nearest house, almost 1 km away (about ½ mile). The dogs barked and scratched on the porch until someone noticed them.

Since the homeowner could not see the wreck, Golly pulled on his sleeve until he could see the SUV. He called for help, and the rescue team determined that only the dogs’ prompt actions had saved Tammy’s life. Tammy Ogle’s faithful dogs were inducted into the Hero Hall of Fame by the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association.

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_One reason that Labs are so popular is their faithfulness.

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_A Labrador Retriever.

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5. Delta, the Cane Corso

The body of a large dog was discovered in the ashes of Pompeii. There is no proof that this dog was a Canis pugnax, the Roman War dog, but the evidence about her life makes it seem likely.

When Delta was found, she was wearing a silver collar engraved with her name and three of her earlier heroic acts. Delta had pulled her owner Severinus from the sea when he was drowning, fought off attackers who had tried to rob him, and also protected him from a wolf attack.

Only a personal protection dog like the Cane Corso would stay close to its master at all times. Delta’s final act was to throw her body over a young child when Mount Vesuvius began to erupt. She could not shield him from the ash, of course, and she died that day. She died faithful.

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_The cast of a dog who died at Pompeii

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_The Cane Corso is descended from the dogs of Rome and is most like the dog found at Pompeii.

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Many great dog breeds are faithful. Some are purebred, some are mixed. In Brazil, the Fila Brasileiro, a purebred local guard dog, is so famous for his faithfulness that a common saying is “As faithful as a Fila.”

There are many great stories about the faithfulness of Golden Retrievers. One of my favorites is about “Blaze,” the dog who saved his family after an electrical short started a fire in his home. My own Pit Bull cross, with no special training, alerts me if I am about to seizure. (She is not only faithful, but also persistent. The first time she alerted me, I thought she just wanted attention, so I took her out and went back to my desk. She came back in and wouldn’t leave me alone until I relaxed.)

Some smaller breeds have amazing stories of faithfulness, too, and a lot of stories are about mixed breed dogs where the dog is identified as a “Shepherd mix,” “Lab mix,” “Terrier mix,” etc.

There are a lot of faithful dogs out there. All you need to do is go out and find a companion. If you are interested, visit your local animal shelter or look at Petfinder.com. Do not buy a puppy from a pet shop or an internet puppy wholesaler, as you will most likely be supporting a puppy mill.

More About Dogs

• Five Dog Breeds With the Longest Life Expectancy Are you looking for a breed of dog that will live a long and healthy life?Photos, videos, and a description of the best five will help you choose a companion for many years to come.
• Most Loyal Dog Breeds Almost all dogs are loyal. A few breeds are more loyal than others. Find out why and how to choose one of the best.