The ice beneath her had cracked and drifted away, leaving Aika with no way to return home.
Aika the Samoyed's beautiful coat can only keep her warm in the freezing Arctic ice for so long. The dog was discovered exploring the ice alone by the crew of a Russian icebreaker ship. Because a ship could have easily hurt the pup without noticing, the crew came to a halt to carry the canine to safety. The dog was seen approaching the ship on video. Despite spending so much time alone in the frigid outdoors, she appeared cheerful and upbeat. She probably wouldn't have made it if she had spent any more time on the ice. The crew of the boat saved her life!
Aika had strayed away from her hometown and onto the ice. The ice beneath her fractured and slid away, leaving the pup stranded and unable to return home. She had been alone for over a week when Russian sailors discovered her. In an attempt to save her, they lowered the ship's ladder and coaxed her up. “We explored all ways for removing the animal off the ice and installed a ceremonial ladder, which the dog utilized to board,” said captain's assistant Yevgeny Nagibin.
The men were on their way to an oil terminal in the Gulf of Ob when they decided to take a detour. The dog can be seen wagging her tail and cuddling with her rescuers in video footage. She appeared to be in good health and unconcerned by the whole thing. The return of the determined dog Svetlana Chereshneva, Aika's human and a Mys Kamenny native, expressed concern that Aika might not come home. Chereshneva is puzzled how the pup got away from her family, as she is extremely near to them. While Aika appeared to be in good health to others, Chereshneva could tell the dog wasn't herself after the ordeal.
“At first, I didn't recognize her when they showed me the footage. “She looked so sad, all covered in ice, and she couldn't walk well because she had pricked her delicate paws on the jagged ice,” Chereshneva explained. Aika's wounds have since been treated, and she is walking normally again. Since returning to the person who loved her, she has become more cheerful and positive.
It is unusual for a dog to survive in such harsh weather conditions. The owner of the ship that saved her said that if she hadn't received help from the boat, she would never have made it back to shore since the drifting ice was cracking much more. Nonetheless, Aika's tenacity and stamina kept her going until rescue arrived. Thanks to the staff, she was reunited with her family!