A young girl miraculously survived a freezing night in the blizzard after she was kept warm by a stray dog.

10-year-old Vika Z was returning from her school in Uglegorsk, Russia, when she lost her way and found herself trapped in snow due to a massive blizzard that descended on the island town and brought several feet of snow in a matter of hours.

After the young girl failed to come back home, her family, volunteers, and the police launched a massive search in an attempt to find the child before it was too late.

Sadly, Vika was not found until 18 hours after she got lost in the snowstorm.

Despite the odds stacked against her, the 10-year-old survived the freezing night. As the rescuers found out, she managed to stay warm enough to make it out of the blizzard alive thanks to the stray dog whom she was cuddling through the night.

Following her rescue, Vika was rushed to the hospital where she was treated for mild frostbite. She has since revealed how she was “hugging a fluffy dog for warmth” during the storm.

According to the local reports, Vika and her furry friend were found lying on a mattress that was placed outside in the open for stray dogs.

“She was hiding under a balcony with the dog,” Olesya Voznyuk of the Investigative Committee said.

“The girl loves animals very much, she used to play with local dogs all the time. She went to feed these dogs after school and then got caught in the snow storm and strong winds.”

Following her miraculous survival, Vika and her family are determined to find the pooch who saved the girl’s life and return the favor. As of this writing, the stray dog’s whereabouts are unclear, whereas the pooch went missing after rescuers showed up.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends. For more news and stories, follow us on Facebook!