Loyal Spaniel sticks with canine pal after tsunami

A feel good story emerged last week as a loyal spaniel has been caught on camera protecting his friend in Japan after the Tsunami. The video, which has been uploaded to YouTube, is a news broadcast from Japan showing a reporter investigating the scenes of devastation following the disaster. The camera shows a spaniel that notices the crew and comes to investigate, before running back to where it was previously sitting. 

At this point, the crew notice the dog has returned to the side of another dog, which they assume has died and the spaniel is protecting. It is assumed that the dog has remained here for days protecting its pal, and the crew stay away to prevent frightening the spaniel. After a minute of the video, however, we see that the dog being guarded is actually alive; in the video this is greeted by an excited shouting from the crew, stating ‘Yes! Yes! He is alive!’

Both dogs have been rescued, according to a Facebook post by Kenn Sakurai, president of a dog and cat food firm which aids animal rescue operations. He stated that whilst the dog that approached the camera was healthier, the second dog was very weak and has been taken into veterinary care in the Ibaraki Prefecture, while the healthier spaniel has been placed into a shelter in the same area.

This is a heroic tale of friendship in the face of adversity, but we know that there are many more animals in Japan in the same predicaments which need our help.

Animal Friends Insurance has donated £2,500 to charity to help with the rescue and rehoming of the animals affected by the Japanese tsunami – find out more on our website.