Dog in Ukraine waiting for a month for slain owner

Jiji Press

12:55 JST, April 14, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A woman was raped and killed in Makariv in the northern Ukraine province of Kyiv in mid-March, after Russia started to invade the neighboring country in late February.

Her dog, without knowing what happened to her, is still waiting for its owner to come home, at the front door of her house.

The tragedy of the owner and the story of the dog, Reeny, were shared on social media on Sunday by Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to Ukraine’s internal affairs minister. Russian forces have retreated from the northern part of Ukraine including Makariv.

The Akita dog is called “Hachiko of Makariv” by local media. Hachiko is the name of the dog of the same breed that is known for having waited for its deceased owner for many years at Tokyo’s Shibuya Station.

Volunteers have been trying to rescue the dog, but Reeny refuses to go with them. They are feeding Reeny while trying to find a new owner for the dog.

The slain owner was living with Reeny after losing her husband to the novel coronavirus.

With Makariv under Russian occupation, the woman decided to evacuate. When she was waiting for a friend, a soldier from Chechnya, southern Russia, broke into her home, and took her to the next house and killed her.