Last year we embarked on a bike packing trip, following an old caravan route along the length of Morocco. It was as we were leaving the infamous Sahara that we were joined by a companion - a dusty dingo looking stray. Curled up asleep on the curb, she trotted over for a good head scratch on those giant ears and decided to come along. By the time we had our coffee break, she’d run a half marathon. As the day progressed, she continued happily trotting by our sides until we stopped for lunch at 50km. When we went to get back on the bikes, the poor girl could barely walk - her paws were too worn down. Unfortunately at this stage, we were in the middle of nowhere and the lack of water for miles didn’t make it a comfortable place to part ways. We wrapped our socks on to her feet, and with a little bit of extra protection she made it 80km that day.

With over 1000km still to ride, and a dog that had now become our shadow, it seemed we had a problem. A good problem to have at least. We initially tried to find Hara a home within Morocco, however as one of the 3 million stray dogs and with rabies a huge concern, pet dogs are not commonly looked upon kindly.

The relationship between humans and animals is a complex issue in many countries throughout the world. We view some animals as pets and others as food, an animal that is a family member in one country is a pest and health concern in another. The human-animal bond differs for everyone, and we had many difficult discussions as to what to do with this dog that would not leave our sides - even sitting on the toilet you would hear her nose sniffing outside to make sure you hadn’t disappeared. Hara followed us not knowingly for food, water, shelter or health. She was the definition of a mans best friend. Or maybe she just likes bikes.

We took Hara to Sunshine Animal Refuge Agadir (SARA), who are organising her vaccines, neutering, and blood tests needed to get her out of Morocco and in to a home in the UK. Michele and her team at SARA work tirelessly to provide animals in Morocco with the best possible chance at a happy and healthy life. When we visited the shelter we were blown away by the scale of the work they were doing, and by the passion and care with which they were doing so. We had felt so overwhelmed by the scale of the dilemmas with stray animals, and how our mission with Hara was just a drop in the ocean of it all. We were so impressed and grateful to meet these like-minded people who were giving their lives for these animals.

It’s hard to comprehend when we’re not in these countries and to feel it’s not our problem. We hope Haras story can inspire to help other dogs to find their future homes, and to remind us of the sunshine they can bring.