Check out this post on the Shiba Inu Spirit Blog
First reaction: Hachiko… oh hey, it’s a story about that Akita that waited for his dead master every day for years. AWESOME!
Second reaction: OMG SHIBA SQUEEE!
Third reaction: Wait a minute… that Shiba is supposed to be an Akita puppy? MOVIE RUINED.
Fourth reaction: Oh, god, now Shibas are going to be in the North American public eye! PANIC.
Fifth reaction: ALL FILMMAKERS MUST DIE.
ETA: Here’s a clip from the 1987 movie Hachiko monogatori – starring a real Akita puppy playing Hachiko as a young dog, even!
Thanks to Gail who sent me this!
Here’s the Wikipedia entry on Hachiko
The Akita folks will probably have their moment of ARGGGH! with this film as well–on several levels.
I saw this on the Shiba Inu Spirit blog on Friday and passed it to some of the Shiba folks here in Northern California. Think I will pass to some Akita folks as well. (Shiba and Akita folks occasionally coordinate on rescue dogs in my area.)
Aww.. the story of Hachiko still brings me to tears every time I see it or read about it. I love that loyalty.
That’s like a fraud using wrong breed. According to someone in the Japanese blog, they used the Shiba puppy instead of Akita because Akita puppies grows up too quick. Using Shiba, they could use older puppies. Do you happen to know which kennels provided the Shiba puppy actors? I’m sure they used multiple dogs to play one character. He’s really cute though.
oh no! just had the same reaction.
According to http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/shiba-inu/message/28981 the pups were from Copperdot.
Sadly the link to CNN’s behind the scenes is no longer available but it showed some excellent shots of the pup as well as the discipline that goes into making a movie with animals in it.
Correction — http://tinyurl.com/n2qd9x Asa Hanna Kennels, full story at the link.
This one is a real tear jerker. All dogs give so much and will wait for their owner without question for as long as it takes. Even my Keiko is totally devoted to me and my wife.