“We do not know where this dog has come from. For a week now he is actually living here. He walks on the forecourt and meets passengers arriving to Kamchatka.
According to the volunteers who took him under their custody, the dog was left behind by its owner,” airport representative said.
“The man did not have enough money for transporting his pet and he had not prepared necessary veterinary documents, so the dog was not allowed on the plane. The owner left without his true friend, who now awaits his return,” the representative added.
The airport staff said that the dog is very friendly and very quiet. It willingly accepts food from other people’s hands and prefers meat dishes.
“People on social networks are telling each other the story of the dog, in hope of finding its owner. But so far no one has come forward. However, people from all over the country are calling us at the shelter and the airport because they want to adopt the dog,” a volunteer of the Kamchatka orphanage “Island of Hope,” Marina Nikolenko, said.
“Recently, a woman called from Irkutsk, she said she is ready to pay all the transportation costs of the dog. Similarly, in Moscow at a shelter, there is an ongoing campaign to raise funds which are required for transferring the dog.”
"Камчатский Хатико" уже неделю ждет своего хозяина в аэропорту https://t.co/MMVgeMGza2 pic.twitter.com/AneJzhOVOR
— Combattant (@CombattantRu) May 28, 2016
However, on the Kamchatka Peninsula there is still hope to find the dog's owner. If the man is found, local volunteers are ready to help with the necessary veterinary documents and have said that they will pay the transportation. The transfer of “Kamchatka’s Hachiko” to Moscow will cost about 10 thousand rubles.
The dog Hachiko was an Akita Inu breed which is a symbol of fidelity and loyalty in Japan. For nine years Hachiko used to come to the railway station to wait for the return of his long-dead owner. In 1934, a monument was erected dedicated to the faithful dog. Several feature films have been shot about the dog.
