How Aloka the Peace Dog got back on the road with the help of Virginia Tech alums
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BLACKSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — Thousands wished Aloka the Peace Dog a speedy recovery after the beloved companion to a group of Buddhist monks needed surgery earlier this year, temporarily pausing his Walk for Peace journey. What many didn't know was that three alumni from Virginia Tech's veterinary college helped make those wishes a reality.
Aloka won the hearts of many last year after accompanying about two dozen Buddhist monks on a cross-country pilgrimage for peace from Texas to Washington, D.C. On Jan. 12, while the group traveled through South Carolina, organizers shared that their furry ambassador would undergo surgery for a leg injury.
"Aloka did not seem to like the idea of being separated. You could see it in his eyes, in the way he stayed close. He has walked with this journey with the venerable monks, and being away—even for his own healing—is difficult for him," Walk for Peace organizers wrote in a social post, noting the operation is necessary to help Aloka recover fully to continue on the walk.
That's when the rescue dog from India crossed paths with Patti Sura, a veterinary surgeon at Charleston Veterinary Referral Center. Sura, who earned her doctorate from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, diagnosed Aloka with a torn cruciate ligament in his right hind leg, explaining his persistent limping.
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Aloka's surgery involved a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), a procedure that intentionally creates a fracture and stabilizes it with a plate and screws, according to a Virginia Tech release. Sura and her team completed the operation in about an hour. By the second day after surgery, Aloka was "walking as if nothing had happened," thanks to his impressive physical fitness.
Aloka, whose name means "light" in Pali, was a stray Pariah dog in India when he first encountered the Buddhist monks during a peace walk in 2022. Organizers previously shared that Aloka began following the monks despite numerous hardships -- including being hit by a car and enduring severe weather -- eventually earning a permanent place within the group.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 15: Aloka the Peace Dog is carried during a midday break during the Walk for Peace on January 15, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The monks are walking from Houston, Texas to Washington, D.C. spreading a message of mindfulness, unity and kindness while requesting that Vesak, Buddha's birthday, be recognized as a U.S. federal holiday. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 15: The venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara and Aloka the Peace Dog lead Buddhist monks as they continue their Walk for Peace on January 15, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The monks are walking from Houston, Texas to Washington, D.C. spreading a message of mindfulness, unity and kindness while requesting that Vesak, Buddha's birthday, be recognized as a U.S. federal holiday. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 14: Buddhist monk Panna Kara pets Aloka as he and other monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, who are undertaking a 2,300 mile pilgrimage of Walk for Peace, attend a welcome ceremony at Hong Kong City Mall in Houston Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Since then, Aloka has accompanied the venerable monks on countless journeys across the U.S. and abroad.
“He was such a beautiful, athletic specimen,” Sura said in the release. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to do surgery on an animal that’s in such incredible shape again.”
While the surgery was a success, Aloka's recovery also depended on post-op care. Two other alumni from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine then stepped in to help.
One of them was Erin O'Leary, who runs a mobile veterinary practice about 400 miles north. O'Leary reached out to the group and offered laser therapy services, which she performed inside Aloka's recreational vehicle, the release said.
Another alumna, Tosha Starke, a veterinarian at Summit Veterinary Hospital in Bristow, also provided laser therapy, conducted physical exams and monitored Aloka's surgical incision. She even enlisted a friend with a mobile grooming business to bathe Aloka after his handler mentioned that he's overdue for one.
O’Leary told Virginia Tech she later realized the connection among the veterinarians after recognizing Sura’s name from media coverage and learning that her former classmate Starke had also assisted with Aloka’s recovery in Virginia. Sura added that veterinarians along the route volunteered care as well.
Aloka and the venerable monks completed the journey on Feb. 10 in Washington, D.C., concluding a trek centered on mindfulness, peace and compassion that captivated supporters across the country. Per the release, Sura and Aloka are expected to reunite in the coming weeks when she travels to Fort Worth, where the pilgrimage began, for follow-up X-rays.
Since his surgery in January, Aloka has made several appearances on the Walk for Peace social media throughout his recovery. According to a March 14 announcement, Aloka will travel with the monks to Sri Lanka this month as part of a journey with many missions: to bring home the Sacred Buddha relics and Bodhi Tree sapling, participate in a four-day peace walk and help animals in need.
"Aloka’s journey has always been about more than just one dog—it is about awakening compassion in our hearts for every living creature," organizers wrote.
