In Kerala, A Dog's Endless Wait For Dead Owner Reminds People Of 'Hachiko'

'Ramu' the dog is always seen patiently waiting on the mortuary ramp of Kerala Kannur's district hospital for his owner.

A dog has been patiently waiting outside a Kannur District hospital mortuary in Kerala’s Kannur for over four months not knowing that its master has passed away. The hospital staff say that they don’t know to whom the dog belonged but they are sure he came with a patient. A staff member said that they named the dog, ‘Ramu’. 

Vikas Kumar, a staff member at the hospital said that the faithful dog must have seen the owner being transferred to the mortuary and still feels the owner is there. He also added that ‘Ramu’ behaves well and is living outside the hospital.

“The dog feels that the owner is still here. The dog does not leave this place and has been here for the past four months”, ANI quoted Kumar.

A staff member said, “What the dog failed to realise was that all the bodies are taken out through another door and hence it is waiting, hoping his master will come through the door from which his body was taken in," according to IANS. 

The dog was first noticed by a hospital attendant as it was lying on the ramp leading to the mortuary nearly four months ago. Initially, they did not pay much attention to him but later made enquiries, which is when they found out he had come with a patient. However, the hospital is unable to identify the deceased. ‘Ramu’ refused to eat in the initial days but later started to trust those around him and accepted biscuits and food, according to a report by The Times Of India.

The dog is usually found on the ramp leading to the mortuary. 

A female staff member said that ‘Ramu’ doesn’t create a scene when hungry and by now the dog is a friend of all the staff. She said when the State Health Minister Veena George visited the hospital, Ramu was waiting for his master. The staff members get food for him.

The dog reminds people of Hachiko, an Akita in Japan, who waited at a train station for over nine years until he passed away because he didn’t know his master had died. A statue of the faithful hound was erected outside the station which is the most popular spot in Japan and attracts many tourists.