Several years ago an old lady in Busan, South Korea, took an unattractive stray dog off the street. The mutt was nicknamed Fu Shi and helped Granny pass her old age by brightening up her lonely days. It did not last very long. Age and illnesses took their toll and the elderly woman suffered a brain hemorrhage. She needs daily care and will never leave the walls of the old people’s home. But Fu Shi does not know this and has been waiting desperately for her beloved owner for three years now.
Neighbors say that every day they see Fu Shi at the crossroads that lead to the alley where Grandma’s abandoned house stands. There the dog sleeps the night, in the dark and alone, and in the morning it returns to its post, waiting for its owner to return. Almost everyone in the neighborhood knows Fu Chi’s story and feeds the dog as much as they can. Volunteers periodically take her to the vet and try to take care of her in other ways. But the animal invariably returns to its important place and no one can explain to it that waiting is useless.
But this story, unlike Hachiko, has a positive ending. After Fu Shi became known to almost all of South Korea, there were many people who insisted on helping the dog. The former owner didn’t mind that she got a new family and now Fu Shi is living with other loving owners.
