The dog has always captured the imagination of humans. There have also been many famous dogs over the years. Fictional and real dogs. Take, for example, Laika, the first dog sent to space. Or Hachiko, the dog who faithfully waited every day for his deceased owner in Japan. Or Rin Tin Tin, who made a lot of children’s hearts beat faster when he appeared on the screen. And of course also the fictional Patrache, Nello’s dog. Better known in Japan than in Belgium itself, where the actual story takes place.
Famous dogs
People have always had a thing for dogs. The dog is often referred to as “man’s best friend”. A dog is believed to be unconditionally loyal to humans. Dogs are used for many purposes: as a hunting dog, as a draft dog, as a police dog, as a guide dog and as a rescue dog. Dogs are also regularly used during wars to pull loads or to detect explosives. Some famous dogs are Laika, Hachiko, Patrache and Rin Tin Tin. All brave and loyal dogs.
Laika
Russian street dog
Laika was a Russian dog, a cross between a husky and a terrier. Her name means “barker”. The three-year-old dog had been taken off the street. She weighed 6 pounds. The goal was to send her into space with Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. After the success of Sputnik 1, Nikita Khrouchtchev wanted to send a new spacecraft into space as soon as possible, this time with a mammal on board.
Intensive training
Three dogs were trained for this purpose: Albina, Mouchka and Laika. The dogs had to spend hours in a small space, were trained on the launch, and learned to eat a nutritious gel. Ultimately, Laika was chosen for this dangerous mission. The other two dogs were used for different purposes. Laika was given many nicknames. One of them was Muttnik, where Mutt means “mongrel dog” and nik referred to the Sputnik. Three days before the effective launch, Laika was placed in the satellite to adjust to her new environment. During that period, she was closely monitored.
Dog in space
The satellite was launched on November 3, 1957. At launch, the temperature controller was damaged. The temperature rose to 40 ° C and Laika panicked. Her heart rate went up and her breathing was irregular. After a while everything stabilized and she started to eat. Since Sputnik 2 was not made to return to Earth, Laika would die in space. Therefore, over time, poison was put in her food in such a way that she would die before the spacecraft detonated in the atmosphere. This happened on April 14, 1958, above the Antilles. However, in October 2002, Dr. Dimitri Malachenkov revealed that Laika had died after just a few hours in space as a result of the stress and overheating caused by the temperature controller problem.
At the base of the first human in space
Laika was the first mammal sent to space. It was proven with her that a living being could survive launch and live without gravity. Thanks to her, further steps were taken to send humans into space.
Discussion of animal testing
The light on Laika’s death sparked the discussion about the use of animals in the interests of science. Protests started in France and the United Kingdom. In Russia, it would take until 1998 to regret what they had done to Laika.
Hachiko
Akita
Hachiko was a Japanese dog, an Akita. Hachiko means “Eighth Prince”. Hachi is eight in Japanese and ko is a pet name. Hachiko was the eighth of a litter of akitas, born in Odate. Every day Hachiko went to and from the station with his owner, a professor at the University of Tokyo. When his owner died of a heart failure in May 1925, Hachiko faithfully waited for his owner at Shibuya train station in Tokyo for another nine years. People who knew him fed him and cared for the animal when it was injured. He died on March 8, 1935 of lung cancer.
Statues and place in the museum
In 1934, when Hachiko was still alive, a bronze statue was made of him. It was located next to Shibuya station in Tokyo, where Hachiko had waited for his late boss for years. Hachiko himself was present at the statue’s inauguration. Unfortunately, the bronze of this statue was used in the war industry during World War II. After the war, the original artist’s son made a new statue. Every year on April 8, a memorial is held for Hachiko at the train station. Also in Hachiko’s birthplace, Odate, there is a statue at the train station.
After his death, Hachiko was set up and given a place in the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo. Part of his intestines were buried next to his owner’s grave.
In 2015, a statue was erected at the University of Tokyo in memory of the professor and his dog Hachiko.
Movies about Hachiko
In 1987 the movie “Hachiko Monogatari” was released in Japan. In 2009 the Americans made a remake of this movie entitled “Hachiko: a Dog’s Story”. Richard Gere played the role of the Japanese professor. The film was a great success.
Hype to have an akita yourself
Hachiko became very popular in Tokyo and later all over Japan. People cited him as an example of loyalty to the family and loyalty in general. The animal also gained great fame outside Japan. Many people brought home an akita.
Japanese and dogs
The Japanese have a thing for dogs and the loyalty of the dog to humans. Nello en Patrache, the story of a boy and a dog who roamed around Hoboken, Belgium, is also very popular in Japan. It is even more famous than in Belgium and Japanese people who come to Europe invariably want to visit the Antwerp cathedral and the statue of Nello and Patrache.
Rin Tin Tin
Sheepdog during World War I.
In 1918, American Corporal Lee Duncan rescues a litter of sheepdogs from a bomb-bearded dog kennel near the French city of Toul. The soldiers divide the six puppies among themselves. Corporal Lee Duncan keeps two of his own. His two puppies, a boy and a girl, are called Rin Tin Tin (or Rintintin in French) and Nénette. Rin Tin Tin in particular becomes the pack’s mascot. After the war, the corporal took the two dogs to Los Angeles. Nénette died during the crossing. Corporal Duncan taught Rin Tin Tin tricks.
Film star
During a performance in a dog show, the dog caught the attention of film producer Charles Jones. In 1922, Rin Tin Tin went to work in show business. He has appeared in a number of silent films and also four films with sound. In his first films he played the role of a wolf, then he played a heroic dog. He became very popular and even saved Warner Bros from bankruptcy in this way. He received tons of fan mail and even a star on the Walk of Fame. In 1932 Rin Tin Tin died. He was fourteen years old at the time. His role was taken over by other German Shepherds, some of which were his descendants.
French dog
Although Rin Tin Tin was a huge success in America, it was actually a French dog. After his death his owner Rin Tin Tin repatriates to France. He is buried there in the dog cemetery of Asnières-sur-Seine, near Paris.