THIS is the heartbreaking moment a loyal dog waits for her owner to return for four days after he drowned.
Belka the dog continually returned to the spot where she saw her friend, 59, fall through the ice on the 23ft-deep Ufa River in Russia.
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The brave pooch can be seen casually waiting for the man to return as officials deal with the tragic death that she knew nothing about.
The night didn’t scare her away either, with amazing snaps showing Belka glowing in the dark as she continues her mission.
Belka’s owner died after taking a dangerous shortcut across ice that was not thick enough to hold him – only three quarters of an inch thick.
He was swept downstream under the ice on the fast-flowing river.
It took four days to find the body.
So despite the fact that Belka was actually waiting in the wrong spot for where her pal’s body was, she stood guard bravely anyways, refusing to give up hope.
The dead man’s family several times took Belka home, but she repeatedly returned to the spot she saw him fall through.
This horrific situation almost claimed another, as a rescuer went out to try and save the pet owner, and nearly lost his own life in the process.
The man was found suffering with severe frostbite.
A bike belonging to the owner was found before the four-day search for his body was concluded.
Kirill Pervov, head of the rescue service in Bashkiria, said: “During the search, the rescue team used an air cushion boat with a hooking device to survey the river bottom.”
“Search work was complicated by difficult conditions – a strong current and unstable ice crust.”
He urged locals to “follow the rules of safe behaviour and do not put your life in danger.
“Do not go out on thin ice.”
Belka shares the name of one of the famous Soviet space dogs sent into orbit aboard Sputnik 5 spacecraft in 1960.
Russians are comparing the loyal pet to the famous Japanese Akita dog Hachikō, a pet who waited endlessly for his master, Hidesaburō Ueno.
Hidesaburō was a professor at the University of Tokyo who had died.
TRAGIC CHILD DROWNINGS
In December 2022, drowning was revealed as the cause of death of four children at Babbs Mill in Solihull, West Midlands.
Siblings Samuel Butler, six, and Finlay Butler, eight, lost their lives along with their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and 10-year-old Jack Johnson.
They died after falling through a frozen lake.
They were said to be “playing” on the ice before it cracked.
An initial inquest hearing, held in Birmingham on Monday, was told three of the boys were rescued after 22 minutes in the water.
A fourth was pulled from the lake after 31 minutes.
Senior Coroner for Birmingham and Solihull Louise Hunt described the circumstances as a “devastating tragedy”.
“I think, in respect, it is fair to say they very sadly died from the effect of drowning.”
In a grief-stricken statement, the parents of Samuel, Finlay and Thomas wrote: “As a family we are devastated at the loss of our beautiful boys in such tragic circumstances.
“We would like to thank the emergency services for all they did in rescuing the boys and to the community for their support, it has been overwhelming.”
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