A HEARTBROKEN dog could die after crying all night and refusing food as it grieves for its owner who drowned days ago.
There are fears a dog who saw her owner vanish under the broken ice of a frozen Russian river “will die of desolation”.
For four days, mongrel Belka solemnly sat near where her master Nikolai Khalanchuk, 59, vanished into the frozen waters of the 23ft-deep Ufa River.
He had taken a shortcut across the frozen river on his bicycle but the ice was too thin and it fell away beneath him.
Belka watched on as desperate efforts were made to save her owner by fishermen who were at nearby ice holes.
Nikolai’s nephew held out a pole for him to grab onto but the cyclist was too cold and he sank further and further down into the depths below.
Local man Ruslan Ilyasov said: “His relative held out a pole to Nikolai, but he was so frozen that he was physically unable to grab it.”
Eventually, Nikolai’s body was found at the bottom of the river, four days after the incident.
During that time, loyal Belka refused to give up hope and kept vigil on the ice, or the nearby shore.
She “howled all night” calling for her master, locals said.
Despite several attempts by Nikoali’s family to bring her home, the pooch continued to return to the spot where she saw the tragedy take place.
Locals say that the dog and her owner were “inseparable”.
Nikolai’s brother has now taken Belka home, and promises to care for the dog, but is worried that she will never recover from seeing her owner vanish into the river.
Sergei told RT: “Nikolai took her as a puppy, I don’t even remember where he got her from. But they had such love.
“She literally followed Nikolai and never left his side. She’s been with him her whole life.”
There is no creature more loyal than a dog…she remained faithful to the end.
Local emergency worker
“I will take Belka to my place, but I’m not sure that I can replace Kolya [Nikolai],” he added.
Sergei revealed that the bereaved dog is still refusing to eat after a local woman attempted to bring her food which Belka refused to have.
A video showed Belka patiently waiting and watching in the hope of seeing the return of her beloved owner.
The local woman recorded a video of her saying, “The dog, female, very affectionate, doesn’t go anywhere.
“I brought some food, but she won’t eat.”
AiF news outlet said: “Many doubt that the faithful dog will be able to forget her owner.
“They say that she will keep coming here, and if she is chained up, she will die of melancholy.”
An emergency rescuer told the local media: “There is no creature more loyal than a dog.
“All these 4 days Belka waited and believed…the hope in the dog’s eyes faded. But she remained faithful to the end.”
Tragically, Nikolai’s wife had died in a boating accident on the same stretch of the Ufa River seven years ago.
On that occasion, Nikolai had been saved despite spending hours in the frozen water, but it left him a widower and Belka – who he raised from a puppy – was the farmworker’s companion.
