Karnataka: Pet Dog Helps Rescue Owner Who Lost in Deep Forest

On Saturday, in a heroic act in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, a pet dog helped family members and villagers find its owner, who got lost deep inside a forest.

Shekharappa, 55, a resident of Suduru village in Shivamogga’s Hosanagar taluk, had no hopes of returning home after falling unconscious due to heat and exhaustion, if not for Tommy, his canine companion of almost 7 years.

Shekharappa had gone deep into the forest at 6 am to fetch firewood for his home, a routine chore for over a decade. The man often returned home by 10 am before working at a hotel in Ayanuru town. However, on Saturday morning, Shekharappa went missing and did not return till noon, prompting his worried family to alert the locals.

Villagers started to canvass the forest to find him but could not find Shekharappa even after hours of constant searching. This was when help came in the form of Tommy, the dog who has been with Shekharappa’s family for almost 7 years.

The dog also joined the huge search operation for its master, and while the villagers were in one certain stretch of the forest, the dog reportedly left the group and went off on its own. After a while, the villagers found it barking at a faraway place and rushed to find Shekharappa lying unconscious on the ground.

Villagers took him to a hospital in Ripponpet, where he recovered after taking medication. Shekharappa’s family members said the dog was an abandoned female who had been with them for the past seven years and usually used to accompany the former when he went to the forest.

A villager, Shivanna, said that the dog was familiar with Shekharappa’s daily route to the forest, which was instrumental in locating their friend. Shekharappa, indebted to his canine friend, has reportedly promised to take care of his pet friend as long as he lives.