KANNUR: A dog can be seen waiting in front of Kannur district hospital mortuary for four months. His beloved human went in and did not come out. Every time they open the door, hope flashes before his eyes. The furry animal does not know that those who are taken in through the front door are handed through the back.

No one was aware of this dog as there were many stray dogs in the area. The staff noticed when they saw him peeking in regularly. The dead body of someone related to him might have been brought here. How to convince him that it is not there anymore?

The people there gave food. At first, he accepted nothing. Later, he started eating little food. There is hardly any expression of joy from him. People at the hospital named him Ramu. He usually takes a walk on the verandah which ends in front of the mortuary.

Even if he is lying down due to fatigue, he slowly raises his half-closed eyes and occasionally looks towards the morgue. Hospital employee Rajesh Kangol said that he has been in tears for a few days. There is a scar on his neck next to the right ear that looks like a stitched wound.

Japan's Hachiko

A similar incident happened 88 years ago in Japan.

Hachiko was the dog of Hidesburo Ueno, a professor at Tokyo Imperial University. Hachiko used to sit at the train station waiting for Ueno to come home from work. One day, Ueno died of a heart attack on the train. But Hachiko continued to wait. After a fruitless wait, Hachiko died on March 8, 1935. His body was buried near Ueno's final resting place. A bronze statue of Hachiko was installed at the railway station. Hachiko's story has inspired films and literary works.

Kuvi from Pettimudi

In August 2020, the landslide in Pettimudi was a major tragedy and the sight of a dog searching for the body of his playmate Dhanushka pained the hearts and minds of everyone. Kuvi was later recruited into the police squad.