Japanese Man Adopts Golden Retriever Ken Orphaned When Previous Guardian Killed in Accident
What a beautiful end to a sad story!
Thanks to Daily Yomiuri Online for this article.
‘Orphaned’ dog finds new master
The Yomiuri ShimbunThe golden retriever shivered as he approached the intersection where his previous owner was killed by a car in April. Now, he is being helped to recover from the loss of his owner thanks to loving care of new owners.
Setsuko Endo was hit by a car as she was walking her dog, Ken, on April 16. Ken, covered in a red rain poncho, kept circling around his collapsed owner, who was soon rushed to a hospital.The next day, Koichi Kanno, a barber who lived next door to Endo, tried to take the 12-year-old Ken for a walk.
However, the dog refused to move. And so, Kanno fed Ken his favorite foods, including bread and broccoli.
“Endo took care of my grandchild and my dog so well, and I wanted to do something for her,” Kanno, 58, recalled. Endo, who is childless and lost her husband 21 years ago, took great care of Ken. She used to take him for daily walks even in rain or snow.
Endo was pronounced dead on April 30. When Kanno saw Ken lying silently near Endo’s body at her house during the wake, he decided to care for Ken.
To earn the dog’s trust, Kanno slept with Ken in his kennel between 7 p.m. and midnight, using a sleeping bag. After three days, Ken started licking his new master’s face.
Ken still lives at Endo’s house, but wags his tail and rushes toward Kanno whenever Kanno calls to him. Every day, Kanno offers a few silent words to Endo: “May you rest in peace. Ken is having fun with me every day.”
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This brought tears to my eyes, may God bless Kanno.
Sad but a good ending. Makes you think about what would happen to our dogs if we went to the great beyond. Our circle of family and friends know who gets my two terriers if my husband and I both go “away” at the same time. I picked my sister who is just as loving and understanding as we are. And with these 2, that’s a big thing to ask and a real relief to us. They won’t end up with millions like some lucky pooch did, but they won’t be homeless or live with strangers either. Maybe I should leave her some money for a therapist….