A Siberian dog has gained fame in Russian after spending a year and a half by the freezing roadside where its owner died a year and a half ago.

The mongrel appeared by the road soon after the crash which took place in autumn of 2014, in Berkut, Russia.

Having come to the attention of locals, two kennels have been built for the hound, one of which was destroyed by a lorry.

Locals are also reportedly feeding the dog, which won't allow other people to pet it.

Animal activist Anastasia Selina was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: 'We haven't been able to get anywhere near the animal, it only seems to want to get to its previous owner and as far as we know they didn't survive the car accident.

'It doesn't trust anyone else, and will not even let anybody even stroke it. We advise people not to disturb it, because we are worried it might run under a car if it gets scared.'

A campaign has begun with the aim of catching the dog and finding it a new home.


Hachiko statue, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan (anahtiris/Bigstock.com)

The heartbroken canine has been called the 'Siberian Hachiko', after the Japanese dog who, each day, would wait for his owner’s return from work by train. When the dog’s owner died unexpectedly at work, it continued to return to the station every day, waiting for the evening train’s arrival. The Akita-breed did this for nearly ten years until its own death in 1935.