Imitating a Richard Gere film, dog escapes city and travels 40km home to live the life he had before his owner died

The dog, named Big Yellow, had been adopted by his owner’s son after the father died
But he only lasted a week in the big city, sneaking out and returning home 40km away

Pets

Yingjie Wangin Beijing

Published: 9:00am, 6 May 2022

Why you can trust SCMP

A dog is man’s best friend, beloved for remarkable loyalty to their owners, making them more of a companion than a pet.

In eastern China, the story of a dog named Big Yellow, who ran 40km back to his original home after his owner died, went viral in China and drew comparisons to the famous film Hachi: A Dog’s Tale starring Richard Gere.

Big Yellow, an eight-year-old Chinese Village Dog, had initially been adopted by the owner’s son after the father’s death around the Lunar New Year in 2021, but, according to a woman surnamed Li, who shared the story, “the dog sneaked out and returned to the village after about a week”.

“Perhaps he does not understand what death means and why the person who loved him the most is no longer with him,” said Li.

The dog remains well behaved and stays in his own territory. Photo: Douyin

Listening to what the dog was “telling” him, the son decided to let the dog stay in the village, said Li, who shared the story on Douyin, China’s TikTok.

Now Big Yellow spends his days wandering around an old alley where he used to play with his owner or waiting in front of a house where he had once spent hours laying at his owner’s feet while the man greeted fellow residents.

Big Yellow remains well behaved and stays in his territory. In one of Li’s videos, he only entered her yard after she called him to come several times. When Li offered him food, Big Yellow did not snatch it out of her hands and waited for her to drop it on the ground before he ate it.

Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, follows a similar plot, except the dog greeted his owner at a railway station every day and continued to visit the waiting spot even after the owner died for nine more years until his own death.

“I did not expect Big Yellow’s story to go viral,” said Li, a dog owner. “I just casually took the video because I love dogs.”

According to Li, the neighbours often bring Big Yellow food to honour his loyalty and memorialise his owner. The owner’s son also visits the dog regularly to see how he is doing.

01:34

Kind little girl in China helps dog scared of firecrackers

“He has been well cared for in the village, where most of the residents are elderly. Few outsiders come to visit,” said Li in response to people’s concern that someone might steal the dog. “Many families have dogs and let them run around the village.”

Many people were moved by the dog’s loyalty and shared their own stories.

“This dog has lost everything. All the dog wants to do is wait for his owner to return,” a person commented.

Another said: “He reminded me of my aunt’s dog, who was distraught when my aunt died and accompanied her by the coffin for a few days without eating and drinking.”