AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A DOG My name is Noah. I am a dog. My parents named me Noah as he was the human who took care of all the animals. I am a wild dog living under cold conditions, in the mountains of Tibet. I was born in the care of a nomadic family that owned a few sheep. These sheep they either used for their own personal needs of food or in warmer months traded for other necessities. Every day I used to accompany the boy Karma as he took his small herd further and further away from the tent looking for food. 
Often he would play with me and snuggle me close to him. He was my friend and I loved accompanying him everywhere he went. As the family had very little to eat themselves, on most days I would sleep hungry too. Then one day I saw a fox hunt down a pika and eat it. It looked delicious. After several failed attempts I managed to catch one. It wasn’t very tasty. After that I managed to catch and eat a few more. 
That night for the first time I slept with my tummy full! One day while I was hunting for pikas I wandered far away. When I came back everybody was gone. There was no tent, no sheep, no Karma nor his parents. For days I wandered trying to pick up their scent. I wandered from place to place. Hunting pikas made sure I didn’t starve but I missed my friend. Almost all year long the fields are snow white. It is difficult for everyone to survive in the harsh conditions in Tibet. I wandered from place to place, finding shelter during snowstorms or landslides. When there are very few pikas left in an area, I would move to another spot. In this way I explored many unknown parts of Tibet. Sometimes I would cross paths with a human. 
Sometimes they would pet me, sometimes give me a biscuit but I never wanted to stay with them. I was still looking for my friend Karma. One night there was a terrible snowstorm, I had no place to take shelter so all that I could do was to curl up into a ball and wait patiently for the storm to pass by. It took a while but finally when it was over, I shook off all the snow from my fur. The mountains and the fields, all looked white. There was nothing around me but the snow. I slowly started off towards the horizon, when suddenly, I smelt something. It was a familiar smell. At first I thought it was a pika or another wild animal, but as I drew closer to the smell, it reminded me of Karma. In front of me was a big mound of snow. That's when I realised that actually a man had gotten buried in the storm. I dug continuously and was hoping save the man. As the man's face came into sight, the first thing I did was lick it. I kept digging and licking is face off and on, trying to wake him up. It was then that I heard voices nearby and realised that some people had come to search for the man. I gave a long, loud howl hoping that the men would hear it and come looking for me. Luckily they heard me and immediately came up. 
I took them to the man who was half buried in the snow. They were so happy when they realised that their friend was still alive. They helped him out and carried him to a tent some distance away. They also took me along with them. They fed me and looked after me, grateful that I had been able to help save’s their friend’s life. When the man I had rescued was better, he came and petted me. As he held me close I was reminded of Karma, my first friend. I knew then that I was going to follow this man where ever he went. I knew that his path and my path were now the same. And I am glad I followed my instinct, because now my new friend Ugyen and I are always together. Together with him I help humans that get lost during snow storms. I sense things that he can’t and am looking forward to the many adventures with this man I helped save. by Dhruv Mody