Stray Dog Accompanies Indian Pilgrim on Epic 600 Km Walk

Photo: Naveen

At first, Malu would walk about 20 meters in front of her new friend, constantly looking back to see if he was still there. “She would regularly stop and look back at me, probably to make sure I was still following her. After a few days, she began to walk behind me, constantly sniffing at my feet. I let her stay,” Naveen told The News Minute. “After we crossed Kozhikode, I was positive that she would not leave my side. She is a very persistent and clever dog. She would patiently wait for me when I went off to have food or take a bath. She would safely guard my thirumudikettu (bag of articles for worship) and sleep beside me at night.”

On one occasion, Malu served as Naveen’s alarm clock. He would walk about 50 kilometers a day, starting at 3 in the morning, until he could find a temple that would shelter him for the night. One day, his phone didn’t ring on time and it was up to Malu to wake him up. “My phone’s display had stopped working and I had overslept that morning. She tugged at my mundu, and repeatedly barked at me so that I wake up.”

Photo: Naveen

On one occasion, Naveen thought he had lost Malu for a few hours, but it turned out that she had just gone ahead without him. She was waiting near the steps that lead to the shrine in Pamba. For the next one-and-a-half days, Malu waited there for my return,” the Indian pilgrim said. “A few of the devotees who had accompanied me from Kozhikode called me on my phone to tell me that Malu was standing near the steps, sniffing at every man who passed by. She jumped on me the moment she spotted me in the crowd.”