Owner Found for Akita Dog Rescued Near Lake Baikal

The owner of the Akita dog, which was discovered by tourists on the Maloye More (Little Sea) and transferred to the Siberian Zoo, has been found. He wrote to the editorial office of Vesti-Irkutsk after their story about the dog aired.

It was known that the owner of the dog, named Hachiko, was serving in the SVO. It turned out he was mobilized in 2020. The man now serves in a reconnaissance company of a tank regiment, and his call sign is «Panda».

The serviceman said he lived with the dog in the village of Zama in the Olkhon district. He sent several photographs to confirm his story. In 2022, when the man was mobilized, the dog indeed started running away constantly in search of its owner.

The soldier came home on leave several times, during which the four-legged friend would return home, only to run away again later. The dog«s owner is glad that the «red-haired» dog was taken in by professionals and that he will definitely reclaim him after returning from the SVO. For now, his father will visit the dog.

«By the way, the dog«s real name is »Hachi«, so the zoo almost guessed the name», Vesti-Irkutsk reported.

As previously reported, the dog was found in the summer of 2025 on the shore of Lake Baikal. It was frolicking in the meadow grasses, but the nearest settlements were dozens of kilometers away. Residents of Irkutsk observed for a week as the dog attached itself to the rare tourists along the coast of the Maloye More. Local game wardens strongly recommended taking the dog away, as the risk of it being killed was very high due to wolves that prey on solitary animals. Therefore, concerned locals called the Siberian Zoo and asked them to shelter the dog, at least temporarily. The staff agreed, even though they usually care for wild animals.