A Baikal Hachiko: Akita Dog Finds Shelter at Siberian Zoo While Awaiting Owner

A lonely Akita dog has found shelter at the Siberian Zoo while awaiting his owner«s return from military service. The dog»s owner left to serve a year and a half ago, and the animal was temporarily left without its faithful friend. Details of the story are being shared on social media by the zoo«s owners.

『The red Hachiko is not with us forever. The Akita is waiting for his owner to return from service. In the meantime, we are creating conditions so that the Japanese dog doesn«t freeze in the Siberian frosts,』 the publication states.

The dog was found in the summer of 2025 on the shore of Lake Baikal. He was frolicking among meadow grasses, but the nearest settlements were several dozen kilometers away.

『Residents of Irkutsk observed for a week how the dog was attaching itself to rare tourists along the coast of the Maloye More (Little Sea). Local game wardens strongly recommended taking the dog in. According to them, the owner had already been away on service for a year and a half, and it«s difficult to keep an Akita without an owner and a professional enclosure. The risk of the dog perishing is very high, as wolves prey on lone animals,』 zoo staff recounted.

Therefore, concerned Irkutsk residents called the Siberian Zoo and asked to shelter the dog at least temporarily. And the staff agreed, even though they usually care for wild animals.

『Firstly, we have Akitas, and we know they are challenging dogs. And secondly, we also have staff away on service. And we very much want the owner, upon returning home, to find his friend alive and well,』 the message says.

For now, the Akita has settled in the zoo«s branch in Nikola. There, one can meet him.