In July 2014, a 4-year-old girl disappeared in the Siberian woods. Her name was Karina Chikitova, and she lived with her mother in a village in Irkutsk, often walking alone between her parents’ houses, which were separated but close by.
That day, she saw her father get into a pickup truck and, unnoticed, followed him accompanied by her dog Naida.
However, her father didn’t notice, and Karina got lost among the trees. For several days, neither her mother nor her father knew the girl was missing, each thinking she was with the other.
It was a fatal misunderstanding in a region where communication was nearly impossible. By the time they discovered the truth, it was too late: Karina had been alone in the forest for days.
What saved her life wasn’t a rescue operation or a coincidence; it was her dog.
Naida stayed with her every night, kept her warm with her body, dug a hole in the ground to hide her from predators, and protected her from the wind with bushes. While adults combed the region with helicopters, Karina drank river water and ate wild berries, and Naida was still by her side.
On the twelfth day, a bark changed everything. It was Naida who guided the rescuers to the hiding spot she had prepared. Karina was weak, covered in bites, and weighed barely 10 kilos. When they found her, she didn’t say a word; she just stretched out her arms, hugged the officer, and then burst into tears. Her recovery was long, but she survived.
Today, in front of the Yakutsk airport, there’s a statue commemorating that miracle. It’s called “The Girl and the Dog,” honoring not just the resilience of a lost child but the unwavering devotion of a dog that never left her side.
shared by Datos Históricos.
credit goes to their respective owner.
