Dog & Girl Who Survived 11 Days in Siberian Wilderness Honored with Statue

All hope is lost when her dog returns home without her; then the dog leads rescuers to the missing 3-year-old, who was called the miracle girl

Naida only left the girl’s side to find people to come rescue them, and recently a statue was unveiled at the Yakutsk Airport dedicated to their perseverance.

On July 29th, 2014, Rodion Chikitova embarked on a trip to his native village. Unbeknownst to him, his four-year-old daughter, Karina, followed him into the woods. Their puppy, Naida, accompanied her. Karina’s mother thought Rodion had brought her along, and it wasn’t until they spoke on the phone a few days later that their worst fears were realized.

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Crews searched by air and land for five days with no trace of her. Some of the men on the ground were even forced to fend off a bear. Chances of finding the girl and pup alive in these conditions and 40-degree weather were becoming increasingly slim. But after nine days, the dog returned to the girl’s village of Olom.

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“Two days before we found Karina her puppy came back home. That was the moment when our hearts sank, because we thought at least with her dog Karina had chances to survive – night in Yakutia are cold and some areas have already gone into minus temperatures,” explained Afanasiy Nikolayev, spokesman for the Sakha Republic Rescue Service.

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Nikolay Chochchasov was inspired by the pair’s stoutheartedness, and created a bronze sculpture in their likenesses.

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