Children get lost all of the time. It’s something that many of us have experienced ourselves.

For some children, it’s an adventure. But for parents, it’s the worst thing in the world. Understandably, not knowing where your child is can be the scariest feeling any parent can experience.

So when 4-year-old Karina Chikitova went missing, it was a nightmare for her family. To make matters worse, she had gone missing in the Siberian wilderness.

Karina had gotten lost with her dog, Naida (or Kyrachaan in some reports), after following her father into the forest. Unbeknownst to him, little Karina wanted to tag along.

She lost him and quickly became lost in the dense and complex forest.

There was not a person in sight who could help her.

To put into perspective the area in which she and her dog became lost, the Sakha Republic or Yakutia, which is the size of India!

That would be frightening for anybody, child or otherwise.

Luckily for Karina, she had her faithful pal, Naida, to keep her company and to protect her from the very real dangers of the forest.

During the cold nights, Naida laid next to her to keep her warm. They also drank from the river and ate berries to survive.

In the meantime, a group of people from the village were out looking for her and Naida. They were just about to give up when a miracle happened.

Nine days into their being lost, Naida left Karina one night. With her beloved companion gone, Karina grew more scared and felt more alone.

But Naida had left for good reason. She wasn’t abandoning her. She must have sensed their rescuers closing in on them because she found them and brought them to the little girl.

It was just when the searchers were beginning to lose hope of ever finding Karina and her dog.

Seeing Naida only gave the group more hope and motivation to keep going.

They eventually found Karina in a patch of grass. She was understandably shaken up and even withdrawn as her rescuers approached her. She didn’t speak to them when they asked her questions about her wellbeing.

The team gave the girl water to which she guzzled down.

When she was reunited with Naida, the first thing she asked her was, “Why did you leave me?”

The girl was unharmed. She had some bug bites and cuts and scratches, but no shoes.

Even though she refused to speak to the search team, she reached out her arms to be picked up and carried to safety.

Karina was physically weak and lost a lot of weight. Mentally, she was shaken up.

One of the rescuers recounted when the team found her:

“She was sitting deep in deergrass, completely silent. I didn’t actually notice her. She saw me and stretched her arms forward… She was scared… and burst into tears. To be honest I could hardly hold back tears, too.”

Today, Karina refuses to talk about her experience of living in the dangers of the forest. It seems she would prefer to move on and forget that it ever happened.

However, a statue of her and Naida stands in their honor. It is located at the Yakutia Airport.

What an amazing story between a young girl and her four-legged friend! Their journey can attest to the popular belief that dogs are extremely loyal and truly our best friends.

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Sources: Shareably, Relieved