Loyal Dog Patiently Waits for Dead Owner To Come Home After Earthquake in Ecuador (Video)

For animal lovers, this is just too painful to see. Last April 16, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador left 7,000 ruined homes, 12,000 injured and 650 casualties. Amid rescue efforts hoping to find signs of life, a devastating sight was witnessed by one photographer. A dirty and sad dog was seen waiting for his owner to return, in the middle of their ruined home in Ecuador. It was later found out that the dog's owner was one of the casualties during the earthquake.

In an article by an animal lover magazine, they featured the story of the photographer Hugo Cadeno. Cadeno was in Ecuador after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, taking photographs of the ruins. The photographer was with a group of rescuers trying to find other survivors when he spotted this heart-breaking scene.

Cadeno posted a video of a dog who appears to be patiently waiting for his owner to come back home. In the video, it is apparent that their house was destroyed by the quake. But despite the ruins, the dog's loyalty prevails. The heartbreaking video of the dog showed him gazing down on the rubble and scanning the area patiently, waiting for a glimpse of his owner.

Sadly, his owner was one of the casualties of the earthquake. The dog stayed still until rescuers and Cadeno rescued the dog himself.

Cadeno's video went viral, appearing in local and international news, including social media. Because of the dog's tenacity, he was dubbed as the Ecuadorian Hachiko, the loyal pet who waited every day for ten years for his owner to arrive at a train station in Japan.

Good thing Cadeno decided to rescue the dog. He worked with local animal rescue groups to bring the dog to safety. It was later found that the dog's name is Max. The owner's relatives found Max and adopted him as well.

Max is now famously called "the survivor". Rebuilding the lives of the people from Ecuador could be a long-term process, but at least people can be assured that in the midst of all the devastation, cooperation, compassion and loyalty remain intact in their community. Thanks to Max for reminding everyone what those words mean.