Hachiko appeared one night outside the funeral home, just as Liang Renchuan was saying goodbye to his father.
The puppy stayed. And for 14 years, in Taiwan, the two shared a silent ritual: walking along the beach after every storm, looking for driftwood. Renchuan turned it into art. Hachiko, meanwhile, scampered along the shore and then would spend hours in the workshop, keeping him company while he carved.
When he noticed that his dog was growing old, Renchuan began saving every piece of wood they had collected together, knowing that one day he would use it so as not to lose him completely. After Hachiko’s death, he finished a life-size sculpture with that same wood, painted it the exact color of his fur, and put his real collar around its neck. “We used to go to the beach together to look for wood”, he said. “Now I can only use the wood to bring you back”.