Яна

Yana; Karakachan Bear Dog; female; relaxed, caring, gentle

name;; Yana, commonly mispronounced as "Nana"

name meaning;; Sweet girl, beautiful girl (Russian origin)

gender;; Female

breed;; Karakachan Bear Dog

coat;; Medium/long length, primarily white with dark large brown spots

eye color;; Deep brown

build;; Well pronounced, strong and muscular

crush;; Poncho

mate;; reserved

family;; Unnamed parents+siblings

notable features;; Possesses a Russian accent, thick, curled, high held tail, tends to throw in Russian equivalents of words in normal speech, wears a keg collar holding basic medical supplies ( treating injured mushers/pedestrians as an "ambulance") 

voice actor;; Emily Mortimer

theme songs;; The Merry-Go-Round of Life; Love Like You; Sleep Away

personality;; Yana can be described as your run-of-the-mill gentle giant, due to her kind and caring outlook. She has a habit of looking after things smaller than herself, which tends to be quite the amount of dogs. This trait is simply inherited from her breed, known for being guard dogs. Her gentle demeanor comes from a love of children, making her the perfect fit for a service dog within a hospital environment. This doesn't mean that she will cower in situations--Yana can be quite fearsome in a dilemma, having a reputation for being quite bold in the face of an attacker or one who wishes harm upon another. She's a more laid back dog that would rather lay on the porch than play in the yard, observant with a watchful eye over others. A selfless dog with a large heart, some may call her, a dog who really does have a heart of pure gold.

history;; Yana was born in Russia, hence her namesake and accent that seemed to stick with her throughout her travels. Her early life began with mounds of snow in Northern Siberia. Due to a large litter size, most of the pups found themselves in a struggle to survive the harsh winter along with the lack of food to go around. Only she and five of her numerous siblings lived until spring, when the remaining pups were sold off to gain various professions. Her gentle attitude was favored over the rougher, aggressive brothers and sisters, who were shipped off to become guards of vast estates or sled dogs. Yana began her journey to Nome as first a mail carrier in Yukon, Canada, relaying hundreds of letters and notes across the frozen tundra. Mushing under the command of a whip wasn't her strong suit, Yana being larger than the huskies and random breeds that tended to be faster with much more endurance.

Her final mail run was made coincidentally to Nome, around the time of the first few diphtheria cases. Yana was dumped off in the town and replaced with a much more able-bodied husky, left to fend for herself among the small town. Some dogs were friendly, others tended to be quite mean, many tended to be disinterested due to Yana's threatening looking size. It confused the Russian foreigner, seeing them cower or show a fang in her direction, used to having large dogs around her back home. That was quite the way off now though, across the ocean and miles of land and sea. A sad yet hopeful thought, maybe she could find herself useful once again. Her hopes proved to be effective after stumbling upon Nome's hospital.

Yana was greeted here with open arms of the sick, happy to see a furry visitor, even if she wasn't a pet. Her presence lightened the mood in the depressing building, causing children to smile after all their days had been filled with sadness and pain. Both the dog and the children benefited, Yana having a feeling of belonging as it took sickness off the family's mind, turning it more to having fun and spending time together. The hospital owner was confused about the bright look of the patients, inquiring about their shift in mood, and was usually answered with "That dog you have, she comes and visits sometimes!" Of course, he didn't know about Yana's existence, originally dismissing it as a child's imagination. Yet, more and more patients requested Yana, a higher and higher demand coming in for her therapy. Days would go by, she becoming more familiar with the hospital, laying on the porch while everyone was asleep, and visiting patients during the day. Her works were noticed by the owner, looking in on the stray and her interactions with the sick, eventually leaving a bowl on the porch, clearly marked with the name "YANA".

relation to Balto;; lives at the Nome Hospital as a therapy dog, seeing Rosie numerous times while Jenna was away; "pet" of nome's doctor

Yana © Mako