'Dead' Dog Digs Himself Out Of Grave After Owners Buried Him

A "dead" dog returned to its owners after it dug its way out of a shallow grave after being buried. According to reports, the family thought the dog had died after being found lying motionless and they buried it at a local pet cemetery.

The incident took place in the village of Novonikolsk in far eastern Russia’s Primorsky Krai region. The dog was 18 years old and the family thought he had died in his sleep. When the dog made no movement for a long time, the owners took it to a nearby pet cemetery for burial. However, the dog woke up soon after being buried and dug its way out, U.K.'s Daily Mail reported.

The dog, who was exhausted after the digging, was spotted lying on a road by some passersby who took him to a local pet shelter. It remains unclear when the incident took place.

The shelter employees later posted pictures of the animal on their social media pages, hoping to find him a new home. The original owners of the dog, whose name is Dik, saw the pictures online and contacted the pet shelter.

A video filmed by the head of the shelter, Irina Mudrova, shows the dog with one of his owners. The dog was later reunited with his family, who were devastated by his loss but where later filled with joy after his unexpected return.

“Dik’s owners thought that he was dead after failing to wake him up," Mudrova told local media. “Fortunately, they buried him not deep underground and he managed to get to the surface after regaining consciousness... His owners, two elderly sisters, came to take him home and cried."

Some social media users shared their own stories, with one person writing: "Once I almost buried my cat alive. I thought she died and started panicking. Luckily, she woke up before I buried her." Another social media user said the incident reminded him of Stephen King's horror book "Pet Semetery" where buried dead pets would come back to life.

"I wonder, have Dik's owners read Pet Sematary? Are they afraid for their lives?" the user wrote, according to the Sun.