Ivan Mishukov, survived two winters guarded by dogs

Some say four-year-old Ivan Mishukov was abandoned, others say he ran away from home because of an abusive alcoholic father. Whatever the case, he began roaming the streets of Moscow searching for food and shelter when he came upon a pack of feral dogs and befriended them. During the day, he begged for food and brought back to share with the pack. The dogs became his protectors — they kept strangers away from him at night and provided him with warmth. They even surrounding authorities who were looking for him, allowing him to slip away safely. Unbelievably, he lived like this for two years (that’s two Moscow winters). When authorities finally caught him, he was a filthy mess with lice and fleas. He was violent and snarled at people, trusted no one, and had a limited vocabulary. He was eventually civilized and now lives a normal life.