From wandering the streets of India as a stray to trotting to Washington, D.C., Aloka may not have had a plan, but one thing was certain:
He walked and walked and walked some more.
Aloka, 4, is an Indian Pariah dog living at Fort Worth’s Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center. Some people may have met Aloka through the temple’s annual Lunar New Year celebrations. The tan and white pooch started to catch people’s attention last year when he accompanied 19 Buddhist monks from Fort Worth on a Walk for Peace to the nation’s capital.
Since the monks returned to Fort Worth in February, Aloka has begun a new journey: to help vulnerable animals like he once was.
Launched in May, Aloka Peace Foundation raises funds to help animals in crisis or raise awareness about animal welfare across the country and the world. The new foundation was announced on the pup’s Facebook page.
Aloka the Peace Dog leads the way home to the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center on Feb. 14, 2026. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Aloka’s work earned him recognition in 52 Faces of Community, Fort Worth Report’s weekly series highlighting unsung heroes.
“Aloka is going to have his own mission from now on,” said Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the Walk for Peace lead monk.
“Aloka is going to have his own mission from now on,”
Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the Walk for Peace lead monk.
Pannakara, the vice president of the temple, came across the pooch in 2022 during a 112-day journey across India similar to the nationwide Walk for Peace. The scruffy, nameless stray followed Pannakara and the monks for the rest of the journey.
When that walk ended, Pannakara “couldn’t bear to leave him behind” and completed paperwork, quarantine and travel requirements to bring the pup to the east Fort Worth temple, according to a video about Aloka on the Walk for Peace TikTok page.
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He is named Aloka after the Pali word for “light.”
Last year, Aloka traveled by paw across several U.S. states, stopping with the monks at state capitols, historic landmarks and in local communities to share their message of peace, national healing and invite people to join them in moments of reflection and prayer.
Aloka underwent surgery for a minor leg injury in mid-January. The pooch reunited with the monks toward the end of the month to complete the pilgrimage.
Bhikkhu Pannakara holds Aloka the Peace Dog during the Fort Worth Buddhist monks homecoming Feb. 14, 2026, at Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)
During the temple’s Lunar New Year celebrations in February, Pannakara told the Report that his vision for Aloka to support animals in Fort Worth and beyond stemmed from people in different parts of the world reaching out to the monks asking for help, he said.
The Aloka Peace Foundation aims to raise funds to support animals in crisis by providing medical care, shelter and by raising awareness to advocate for animal welfare, according to its website.
To some, Aloka has become a furry symbol of peace. To Pannakara, his furry friend has always been a “sweet boy,” he said.
“He just roams around with all the people. It doesn’t matter who those people are,” Pannakara said. “He is just going to be friendly with everybody, and that’s what gives people love.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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