Sorry, thread about a thread in a way. Didn't think it was appropriate to post on the thread as the OP's dog had been attacked by an Akita and Rottie. This led me to say 'I'm scared of Akita's' which then led to a rebuke by Akita owners along the lines of 'owner not the dog'. So, after hearing such very affectionate accounts of a breed I was previously wary of (well, I still am as they are status dogs round these parts) I did a Google and found this story.
It made me well-up. Thought I'd share.
From Wiki:
.....the story of Hachikō, one of the most revered Akitas of all time. He was born in 1923 and owned by Professor Hidesaburō Ueno of Tokyo. Professor Ueno lived near the Shibuya Train Station in a suburb of the city and commuted to work every day on the train. Hachikō accompanied his master to and from the station each day. On May 25, 1925, when the dog was 18 months old, he waited for his master's arrival on the four o'clock train. But he waited in vain; Professor Ueno had suffered a fatal stroke at work. Hachikō continued to wait for his master's return. He traveled to and from the station each day for the next nine years. He allowed the professor's relatives to care for him, but he never gave up the vigil at the station for his master. His vigil became world renowned when, in 1934, shortly before his death, a bronze statue was erected at the Shibuya train station in his honor. This statue was melted down for munitions during the war and new one commissioned once the war ended. Each year on April 8 since 1936, Hachikō's devotion has been honored with a solemn ceremony of remembrance at Tokyo's Shibuya railroad station. Eventually, Hachikō's legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty, particularly to the person and institution of the Emperor.
How lovely and very sad 