Losing a child is a fear most parents carry with them. This fear was something that 4-year-old Karina Chikitova’s parents had to deal with as they nearly lost her. It was believed that she lost her way after following her father as he was leaving their home in Olom, in the Olyokminsky district in the Sakha Republic. The search for Karina nearly went on for eleven days and reached a point where rescuers believed that she might not ever be found. It is said that the probability of locating a missing person vastly decreases after the first two days, with the likelihood of that person being dead increasing.
It was at this point that the rescuers noticed her pet dog. Karina’s mother was of the opinion that both the girl and the dog had followed her father as he had left, but the lack of phones in the area meant that there was no way to corroborate that piece of information. Almost 100 people joined in the search for the missing girl. These included members of the Sakha Republic Rescue Service, members of the special forces as well as hunters from the area. No effort was spared in trying to locate the missing Karina, even drones and helicopters were employed to aid in the rescue mission. The dense growth of foliage from the forest did nothing to better the situation.
As it turns out, the real reason why the girl was not found was Karina herself. She hid in the grass as the helicopters flew by, staying well out of sight of any of the rescue efforts. Karina however, was not alone in her little adventure. Her pet dog was with her, offering warmth and protection from wild beasts. Karina is said to have survived by drinking water from a local river and eating berries she gathered herself. It was at this point that her dog left her to go and find help.
At first both her family and the rescuers assumed the worst – at least the girl would be warm and safe with her faithful dog beside her. The location experiences extreme temperatures, with it going down to – 35 degrees at night. One of the coldest temperatures in the whole Northern Hemisphere is said to be found here. But the dog did not return to impart the worst kind of news, and insisted on being followed back to the girl. Afanasiy Nikolayev, speaking for the Sakha Republic Rescue Service, said that the puppy had come home two days before they found the girl. According to the NTV news, it was the puppy that helped the search party find the girl.
Surprisingly, when the girl was located by the search party, she appeared to be in good condition. She was quickly rushed to the waiting doctors. According to Nikolayev, she weighed what appeared to be ten kilograms as he took her to the waiting doctors. The name of the dog stayed away from the headlines of this story, but he is the true hero, having been the reason the girl’s life was saved.
Heroic Dogs that Deserve a really Big Treat
A dog is often said to be a man’s best friend, and those who own one as a pet know all the joys associated with this wonderful species. But did you know that there have been times when a dog saved their owner’s lives? Not just a pet, but a part of the family, here are ten dogs that prove that animals are smart, caring and wonderful creatures to spend your life with!
- The dog that saved his owners from a fire: True may appear to be just a normal dog. But the truth is that he is blind, deaf and has just three working legs. But that did not stop him from waking up his owner, Katie Crosley when he sensed danger. She woke up to find him barking beside her bed and opened her bedroom door to find flames engulfing her house. Her dog gave her the avenue to grab her child, the dog and make her way safely across the house. True truly saved the family!
- The dog that saved a child from drowning: When this dog spotted a toddler seemingly wandering in towards the ocean in a crawl, it knew it had to do something. So it created a barrier by placing itself between the baby and the ocean, thus saving the child’s life.
- The dog who knew the Heimlich Maneuver: The dog’s owner Debbie Parkhurst was eating an apple one day when a piece of it got stuck in her throat. Although she attempted the Heimlich Maneuver on herself, it did not work and she started beating on her chest. This was when her dog, Toby, pushed her to the ground and started jumping on her chest, thereby dislodging the apple.
- The dog that saved his owner: The owner, Judith Shaw had lost consciousness and was suffering from glaucoma. When she came to, she realized that her dog had pressed the panic button, thereby calling for help. Trained to perform this task, the dog trule knew how to keep their owner safe.
- A dog saves owner with Crohn’s disease: Michael suffered from Crohn’s disease and slept in a sofa downstairs, away from the bedroom. When his wife Barbara found their dog barking wildly, she rushed to find that her husband was in a critical condition. She took him to the hospital, where he was saved.
- Dog saves 14 year old boy from drowning: A woman by the name of Patricia Drauch came home to find that her son, Stanley was not in sight. She went to the pool to discover that her son’s head was being held up by their dog Bear as he was in the pool. Bear would not move until Patricia came to rescue her son, thereby saving his life.
- Abusive babysitter revealed by dog: Owners Mr. and Mrs. Jordan found it strange that their usually kind dog, Killian, was creating a barrier between their son and their babysitter. Out of suspicion, they hid a phone under the couch and it was revealed that the babysitter was indeed abusing their son by screaming at him, using filthy language and even hitting him. The babysitter now faces time in jail.
- Recently adopted dog saves his new family: A couple by the name of Lee and Elizabeth Litter decided to adopt a rescue dog named Hercules. After bringing him home, they noticed him acting strangely towards a screen door towards the basement. To his owners’ surprise, he charged at the door and they discovered that he had gotten rid of an intruder that was trying to get inside.
- This rescue dog saves a baby: According to owner Jenna Brousseau, she was sleeping in her bed with her husband when their dog Duke charged into the room. The dog was unusually excited, bordering hysterical and this was unusual coming from him. They quickly went to check on their baby to discover that she was not breathing. Paramedics were quickly called and she was rescued.
- A stray dog saves a 7 Year Old Boy: A young boy was trying to save a dog from a roadside bank when he fell in himself. It was not until 72 hours later that the boy was found thanks to the weak barks from the dog. The dog had covered the boy and protected him from the freezing chill until they were rescued.