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In 1929, a Shiba-inu girl was born into Kichitaro Karita's family, who lived in Kawauchi Village (now Gosen City) in Niigata Prefecture. The dog was named Tama, and grew into a fine hound while being taken good care of by his family.
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On February 5, 1934, when Tama, her owner Karita and his friend Koizumi were out hunting in Yatakizawa, a large avalanche struck and swallowed Karita in the blink of an eye. Tama ran in a straight line to the site of the avalanche, smelled it for a while, and then began to shovel the snow with tremendous force. Tama continued to dig with her both feet covered in blood, and Karita managed to escape
from the snow.
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Two years later, on January 10, 1936, when Karita and three of his friends went to Sakuraya to hunt badgers, an avalanche broke out again and Karita was caught in the snow. Thanks to the efforts of Tama, who was also with him at that time, Karita was able to survive. Tama was honored as a loyal dog and was featured in newspapers and on the radio.
Later, a bronze statue of Tama was erected, which now watches over the lives of the people.
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