Yocchan.

My parents' home is in Hokkaido, and we have a Hokkaido dog named Yoshikichi (nicknamed Yocchan).

Coincidentally, he shares my birthday, and he will turn 10 this March.

My father named him.

Since my father's name is 'Yoshihiko,' it seems he wanted to create a partner for himself. That's all there is to it. Haha.

It started when a friend from my vocational school days asked me, 'A friend of mine had puppies, would you be interested?'

My father said he was just going to go look at the puppies, but when he fell in love with Yocchan at first sight and came home happily carrying the puppy, the whole family laughed.

After we welcomed Yocchan into our home, he escaped many times. Each time, the whole family would go out to search for him.

When he was four, he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which made both my father and mother sad.

I still remember my father laughing and saying it was a good thing I worked at an animal hospital, but he looked a little sad when he said it.

My father, who loved Yocchan the most in the family, passed away five years ago.

When I'm out walking with Yocchan, if he sees a car similar to the one my father used to drive, or a man in work clothes who has a similar vibe to my father, he tries to chase after them, which makes me think he still remembers him, and it almost brings me to tears.

I'm not always at my parents' home, but when I do go back, I want to give him as much love as my father would have.

Mom, thank you for always taking care of Yocchan.

Hii.