Elenito Bandayanon died of a heart attack last June, but his dog Saicy faithfully waits for his return.
Saicy has been tagged the “Hachiko” of Davao, a reference to the dog in Japan in the 1920s who continued to wait for his master, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, at the train station years after the Japanese man’s death.
Saicy was first known after a photo of him waiting for his master outside the emergency room in a Davao hospital went viral. Her master was rushed to the hospital by their neighbour, and Saicy did not hesitate to accompany him to the hospital.
Alvin Ceria, who works for the Metro Davao Medical and Research Center, said that he saw the dog barking outside the ER while Badayon was inside and fighting for his life.
“The dog was barking, it wanted to go inside the ER,” Ceria posted on facebook. “Sad to say the patient died. The dog’s owner may have been dead, but the love of the dog remains,” he added.
Saicy was finally allowed to go inside the emergency room after Elenito was pronounced dead.
The dog touched Elenito for the last time and howled – a scene that broke the hearts of those inside the room.
Marissa Bandayanon, widow of Elenito Bandayanon, revealed that Saicy has been despondent ever since her master’s death and subsequent burial. She said that the dog has lost both her appetite and energy even when they do their regular afternoon routine of going out to eat street food.
During Elenito’s wake, Saicy can be seen on top of its owner’s coffin, as if trying to wake him up.
