Sadly, there are many who despise a stray dog for its ragged, dirty appearance and its possible diseases.

But they are unaware or do not want to know that these sweet, apparently helpless creatures can be true heroes when it comes to saving a life; even more so when a small child depends on them to survive.

Such as the incredible event in Sakhalin, Russia, after a 10-year-old girl was saved by a stray dog hugging her for warmth during a snowstorm.

The stray dog was snuggling up to the little girl when temperatures dropped to minus 11 degrees

The minor identified as Viktoria Zarbina, who is a great lover of animals, had decided to go feed street dogs, when she returned from her school in Uglegorsk, Sakhalin, the largest island in Russia.

But she did not count on the fact that in the middle of her act of love she would be trapped by one of the strongest storms, barely 1 km from her house.

The little girl had to spend 18 hours hovering between life and death during the coldest night

Dozens of police officers, officials and volunteers carried out a large search deployment, without much result.

Her family was desperate without knowing the whereabouts of the minor. Hopes of finding her safe and sound from her were almost nil, given her terrible storm.

No one imagined that she would have her own furry angel that would appear at the right time to save her from a tragic end.

Viktoria was found almost frozen being hugged by a large fluffy dog that never left her side.

The ferocious storm caused snowfalls of just over 1 meter deep and in some buildings the snow covered up to the first floor.

Although the mongrel dog didn’t even know Viktoria, he was so cunning, kind and loving, that he let her hold him all through the freezing night, knowing that with his thick fur he could warm her and save her.

Thanks to a neighbor’s call, the search operations were successful, as he alerted that he saw a girl playing with stray dogs near a shelter.

When the little girl’s mother, 34-year-old Tatyana, received this information, she immediately knew that it was surely her daughter.

This is how the Police were finally able to reach the scene and found a scene that left them stunned and totally moved.

Both Viktoria and the stray mongrel were reclining on a mattress, which had been put up for homeless dogs, under a low balcony, for shelter from the raging storm.

“She strayed to feed stray dogs after school and got caught in the storm and strong winds ,” said Olesya Voznyuk, an official with the Investigative Committee.

“I was hiding under a balcony with the dog.”

The mother perfectly understood that something like this happened to Viktoria, since she very often dedicated herself to giving love and food to the homeless dogs in the area.

Vika had left school at 1 p.m. and was found the next morning at 8:45 a.m.

“She was taken directly to the hospital and was found to have mild frostbite,” a local media reported .

The space under the balcony gave her some shelter, but even so, it took more than 40 people more than 12 hours to find her since her parents raised the alarm.

Her mother, totally relieved to know that Viktoria had managed to survive, met her at the hospital, melting into a touching hug that made everyone cry.

Fortunately, the girl was able to be stabilized in a few hours and returned home to her family. Her parents can’t stop giving thanks to the beautiful street hero.

But, they are very sad because in the middle of the operation, as if he knew that his work was over, the furry escaped.

Now they ask the community for help to find him and give him the home he deserves for having saved his daughter. We don’t deserve dogs!