Pets - Friends for life?

I got to know this interesting story from my best friends' mom, which is a true story.

Someone amongst her relatives is sad and depressed from the past 1 yr. That is exactly from the time, a pet in their family died. Her relative (let us call him grandpa) is almost 75 yrs old and has lot of complications in his health after that.

Yes, it was a dog, a Pomeranian by breed, but grandpa wouldn't call him a dog, he felt it was an insult to call the dog a dog. The dog, Kittu was very much a part of their family and it stayed with them for 9 yrs, which is quite a bit for his breed.

Kittu ate all things which were prepared in the kitchen. He loved coconut and tomato very much. He also loved milk, rice, biscuits and all types of sweets. Grandpa invested in Kittu emotionally to such an extent that now its void cannot be filled by anything or anyone in this world. His relatives, his family have tried so much to cheer him up, but he just doesn't respond and continues to remain glum and sad.

I was very touched with this. Can a human being be so attached to a pet? Even when there is a death of human being in the family, we tend to grieve for some time and move ahead with life. But this person is stuck in Kittu's memories and can't look beyond Kittu. I hope he gets out of this phase and leads a better life.

Dogs are known to be man's best friend since ages now. The bonding of human beings and dogs is depicted in so many Bollywood and Hollywood movies; one which made me cry is Hachi: A Dog's tale, which is based on a true story. Found this from Wikipedia, please do read:

"In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took in Hachikō as a pet. During his owner's life, Hachikō greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachikō was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the golden brown Akita waited at Shibuya station.

The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.

Hachikō died on March 8, 1935, and was found on a street in Shibuya.

Hachikō's stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo”.

Richard Gere played the role of the professor and I just couldn't control my tears towards the end of this movie. I was thinking about this movie for a very long time.

What makes pets love their masters so much? Though dogs can't express by talking, they express it through their eyes and actions and their masters mean the world to them. They need only your love and attention, that's it. They are not interested in your money or your professional status. They love you unconditionally. I can't help thinking about my pet dog, Raju, who loved me so much that he didn't allow anyone else other than the family members to touch me, when I was a baby!

I dream of owning a German shepherd sometime in my life. I couldn't spend quality time with Raju. But I want to nurture another dog as a tribute to Raju and thank him for whatever he did for me and my family.