Akitas are known for being loyal. Perhaps the most famous member of the breed is Hachiko, who kept returning for ten years to Shibuya Station in Tokyo, not knowing that his owner had died.
An Akita in Spain named Maya may not have waited an entire decade for her owner, but her loyalty is no less touching. Maya had gone on an out-of-town trip with Sandra Iniesta, her fur mom, and Sandra’s dad, Andrés.
They were driving home to Barcelona when Sandra suddenly felt intense abdominal pain. Her dad thus had to rush her to Hospital General Universitario de Elda Virgen de la Salud near Alicante.
Doctors diagnosed the young woman with acute appendicitis, which required immediate surgery. While Sandra was recovering, Andrés went somewhere to rest for a bit. He wanted to take Maya with him, but the Akita stubbornly refused.
Since the pooch wasn’t allowed to stay by her fur mom’s side in her hospital room, she decided to sit outside the building and wait. Soon, Maya caught the attention of the hospital staff as well as the media.
The employees still wouldn’t let the Akita in, but they knew she wouldn’t budge from her spot no matter what they did. Hence, they decided to look after her while she waited.
Andrés was caring for the Akita at the time, of course, but the employees also made sure Maya never went hungry. The pooch received lots of pets and scratches from them, too, which made her vigil more pleasant.
Andrés says Maya is a full-fledged member of their family. As such, he wasn’t surprised to observe that the canine seemed aware of what had happened to Sandra. The Akita knew she had to be there for her fur mom.
Indeed, Sandra shares that Maya’s behavior was not unusual at all. Back in Barcelona, the Akita is accustomed to waiting for the fur mom by the door whenever she enters an establishment where dogs can’t go.
After six days, Sandra’s doctors finally discharged her just in time to celebrate Maya’s birthday. The fur mom gave the Akita a big hug upon seeing her outside the hospital. Watch Maya and Sandra’s story in the video below:
