Every Day, This Dog Goes on the Same Walk He Used to Go On with His Owner

By Spooky on March 27th, 2017 Category: Animals

Remember the tragic yet heartwarming tale of Hachiko, the loyal Akita Inu who spent nine years waiting for his owner to return from work, not knowing that he had died of a brain hemorrhage? His legendary loyalty is now being emulated by Thor, a dog of the same breed, who goes on the same walk he and his departed owner used to go on, every day.

Every day, the people of Caçapava do Sud, a town in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul region witness a touching display of animal loyalty. In the morning, Thor, a white Akita Inu, takes to the streets, retracing the daily walk he and his owner used to take up until a year ago, when the 58-year-old man died. He stops at all the usual places his master used to spend time in, lets those who know him pet him on the head and even poses for pictures, before returning home to his adoptive family. That’s become his daily ritual for the last year or so.

Photo: Globo video screengrab

In December 2015, Thor’s owner, artist Cláudio Cantarelli, died at the age of 58, and his faithful companion fell into a depression. Cantarelli’s family took care of Thor, but they didn’t give him the same love and attention that his master used to. Seeing the miserable canine, Saionara Freitas, a neighbor of the Cantarellis, asked if she could take him in, and maybe help him get over the death of his owner.

“I was already used to Thor, so I asked if I could take him,” Freitas told Globo. “He was sick and terribly sad.”

But under the loving care of Saionara, Thor started getting better, and then, about a year ago, he started taking his daily walks, following the same route he had taken alongside his master for nearly a decade. “In the morning I get up early, make his food and I open the gate for him to take the walks he was already accustomed to,” Freotas says. It’s like he is trying to overcome his longing, or waiting for his master to return, the woman adds.

“He [Claudius] went for a walk every day. He was everyone’s friend, an artist. Now, Thor walks along the same route. I notice he always stops in the same places. It’s impressive, ” said Airton Oliveira, a hairstylist in Caçapava do Sud.

Photo: Globo video screengrab

Wherever he goes, Thor always receives love an affection. Everyone knows his story and is eager to make his loss more bearable. People stop to pet him, food and water bowls are always full at the shoe store he walks by every day, and some people even stop to take photos with the now famous dog.

After completing his walk and spending time outside the places his master used to spend time in, particularly the the lottery office, which he visited every day, Thor return to his new master, Saionara Freitas.