In those days, such affection for animals was outside the norm. He spoiled Hachikō the way modern dog lovers spoil their pups.

He brushed his thick coat daily and fed him rich meals of rice with broth, milk and liver treats. Nonetheless, Ueno took special care of Hachikō, catering to his every need. John and Hachikō got along well however, Esu was aggressive toward him, perhaps sensing the unique friendship his owner shared with Hachikō. Ueno took Hachikō for walks with his other dogs, two English Pointers named John and Esu. Within the next six months, Hachikō's health improved. They kept his head cool with ice bags and packed hot water bags beside his feeble little body. (In those days it was rare to find dogs indoors.) Hachikō became weaker and developed a fever, causing Ueno and his wife to bolster their efforts to nurse him back to health.

A fragile pup in poor health, Hachikō slept under Ueno’s western-style bed, wrapped in fabric. In the winter of 1924 Hachikō arrived in Tokyo to meet Ueno. The two would endure a bitter beginning, but it only served to strengthen their affections. And while he was a dog lover (he owned 16 dogs in his lifetime), he’d never had a pup like Hachikō. A respected scholar and authority on agricultural civil engineering in Japan, Ueno was recognized for extraordinary contributions in his field.

Not in the market for a pup, Ueno unexpectedly accepted Hachikō as a gift from his former student, Mase Chiyomatsu, the head of the Arable Land Cultivation Section of the Akita prefecture. Ueno Hidesaburo was a professor in the Department of Agriculture at the Imperial University of Tokyo (now The University of Tokyo).

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