Most of us have experienced the loss of a pet. But there are times when a pet loses his human. That’s what happened to Tommy. According to the Daily Mail, Tommy is a 7 year old German Shepherd living in Italy. He was adopted as a stray by a woman named Maria. The two were super close – Tommy even went to church with his mom! Maria died two months ago, and Tommy showed up at the church without anyone bringing him to the funeral. What happened next is a tribute to the undying love between pet owner and pet.

Following her death at San Donaci near Brindisi, a funeral service was held at which Tommy joined mourners and since then he has been a regular at the church arriving on time when the bells ring out to mark the start of services.

Father Donato Panna said:”He’s there every time I celebrate Mass and is very well behaved – he doesn’t make a sound, I’ve not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been coming in.  ‘He used to come to Mass with Maria and he was obviously devoted to her – I let him stay inside as he was always so well behaved and none of the other parishoners ever complained to me.  ‘He’s still coming to Mass even after Maria’s funeral, he waits patiently by the side of the altar and just sits there quietly. I didn’t have the heart to throw him out – I’ve just recently lost my own dog so I leave him there until Mass finishes and then I let him out.

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The story of Tommy is similar to the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster Hachi starring Richard Gere which told of how a faithful Akita dog waits patiently for his master after he also dies.  It was based on the true story of a Japanese Akita called Hachiko, whose owner died in 1925 but for the next nine years he waited patiently at a railway station for his owner from where they regularly caught a train.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk