Shiro became famous for repeatedly swimming three kilometers of open sea from Aka-jima to Zamami to visit Marilyn, the female dog he had been separated from after his family moved in 1986. He made the dangerous journey for months, inspiring Japanese news coverage and the 1988 film Marilyn ni Aitai, before dying in 2000 at age 17. Today, statues of Shiro and Marilyn stand on their respective islands, honoring a remarkable bond that once crossed the sea.
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