11 days after leaving her home and wandering the Siberian taiga on her own, this three-year-old girl is now safely home again — thanks to her dog!
On July 29, Karina Chikitova of the remote Sakhha Republic walked out the door of her home and roamed the wilderness with her dog, unbeknownst to her family. After surviving off of wild berries and river water and sleeping in a bed made of grass, Karina was found because her faithful four-legged friend returned to their home to get help.
Knowing the small child would be exposed to below freezing temperatures and roaming bears and wolves typical of the area, the family was disheartened when Karina’s pup showed up at their door. “If she was to hug her puppy, we thought, this would have given her a chance to stay warm during nights and survive,” said Afanasiy Nikolayev, spokesman for the Sakha Republic Rescue Service.
No one imagined this amazing puppy would lead them to little Karina, huddled in a grassy area that would have made it nearly impossible to find her, even with helicopters being used in the search. Save for some scratches on her feet from walking barefoot and many mosquito bites, Karina was found unharmed.
To see more about the rescue effort, check out this video posted by The Siberian Times:
