Devoted Dog Walks 200 Miles Back To Woman Who Rescued Her

A dog named Shavi grew so attached to the woman who cared for her after she was rescued that she walked nearly 200 miles to return back to her.

After Shavi was hurt in a hit-and-run in Russia, the stray dog crawled to the side of the road and would have died there if she had not been picked up by two Good Samaritans who found her. She had several bad injuries and two broken legs.

Shavi’s rescuers launched an online appeal to find someone to nurse her back to health and Nina Baranovskaya responded and said she would foster Shavi.

Nina helped Shavi learn to walk again, taught her basic commands and comforted the dog when she had panic attacks from the trauma of the crash.

Once Shavi was better, Nina found the dog a loving home with friends nearly 185 miles (290 km) away, as she could not keep the canine. But just a few days after dropping Shavi off, the dog disappeared. Her friends called her in a panic saying Shavi had vanished. Nina hoped that Shavi would return to her friends or be rescued by someone in the town.

Two weeks past and Nina was walking along the street when she felt something brush up against her leg. Looking down, she saw Shavi sitting at her feet! Somehow the dog had found her way back!

Nina told the Russian news channel Komsomolskaya Pravda that she burst into tears when she realized Shavi had made the long journey all by herself. Not only that, but the dog had tracked her down at her new home. Nina and her family had moved to a bigger home several blocks away from where they had lived before.

“I’ve heard amazing stories about dogs’ loyalty, but I never imagined this sort of thing would ever happen to me,” Nina said. “Even now, I can hardly believe this dog traveled such a long distance to find us.”

Nina says that Shavi will remain with her family for good now. “I would never give this kind of friend away again. Animals are the most loyal and loving creatures in the world. For every drop of human love, they are willing to give all of theirs in return, and I know that from personal experience.”

After Shavi’s story appeared in the Russian newspaper, many people offered Nina money and support. Even though Nina was touched by the outpouring of concern, Nina said that she did not need money but asked people not to ignore animals who need help.

Share Shavi’s story if you agree that dogs are the most loyal friends!