DOG NEVER MISSES CALLS TO PRAYER

Socksy, a black mongrel, runs towards the Memon Mosque when the muezzin calls out the faithful for azaan, and begins to wail in tune.

Locals at Lonavala, near Bombay, say the dog has not missed a single prayer in the last nine years.

"She is extremely alert," said resident Alka Bhandurkar. She stops baying exactly at the same time the azaan stops."

Yunus Sayyed, a cleric who sometimes leads prayers at the mosque, said, "If there is a slight mistake in the azaan, Socksy stops baying and resumes seconds later. I have noticed it clearly. It is almost like she understands what is said."