Once terrified of dogs, German adventurer Heike Pirngruber is now walking the globe with Butch, a flea-covered puppy she rescued in Mexico that's reportedly become one of the most well-traveled dogs on the planet.
Together, the two have crossed continents by foot, canoe, motorbike and tuk tuk, news agency SWNS reported.
Pirngruber, 53, adopted the Australian cattle puppy in 2021 while she was staying in a beach hut in Baja California, Mexico.
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Butch was just a month old, malnourished and alone when she found him.
"I never really liked dogs when I was a kid," Pirngruber of Heidelberg, Germany, told SWNS. "But the first moment I had little Butch in my arms and knew he was mine now, I couldn't believe how I felt."
Her fear of dogs came from years of solo travel - seven of them spent cycling around the world. She was often chased by aggressive strays, she said.
But her perspective began to change after a chance encounter at the beach hut. She had cooked grilled chicken when a street dog, later named Max, appeared at her door, SWNS reported.
Initially hesitant, she was convinced by a friend to feed him.
The next day, Max returned with two companions, Brownie and Pushy.
She began feeding them regularly and slowly shed her fear.
Later, when a local tried to give away a litter of flea-ridden puppies, Pirngruber made a life-changing decision. She chose Butch and took him on the road.
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"Nothing was the same anymore," she said. "And I had no clue how this little puppy would change my life."
She added, "He's my best friend. I love this guy to death and it's awesome. I've never regretted picking him up and taking him with me on my travels, especially as he wasn't treated very nicely."
Having Butch by her side changed more than her travel routine, according to SWNS.
"With Butch, I always have someone there. I am never alone. I have such a connection with him and I'm happy with him."
A former camera operator for ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen), Germany's biggest broadcast station, Pirngruber has been traveling full-time for more than 12 years.
She has visited 104 countries across every inhabited continent.
Originally, she'd planned to cross the Americas by donkey in 2020, she said, followed by a break in Baja California in 2021.
But after adopting Butch, she scrapped that plan and chose other ways to continue their journey.
Over the next three years, they explored the Americas together on foot, by canoe, motorcycle, and tuk tuk before flying to Madrid in April 2024, per SWNS.
After a brief return home, just her third visit in 12 years, she quickly realized that life in Germany no longer felt like hers.
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She was pulled back to the road.
"Now, I love my freedom, I love living day-by-day, I love not knowing where I am staying each night or where I can pitch my tent. It's such a thrill," she said.
Since then, she and Butch have walked through Spain, Andorra, France and Italy, before sailing to Greece.
As of Nov. 2024, they'd crossed five European countries.
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"I choose where we go, mainly day by day. There are times when we want to get away from civilization and be by ourselves, and then other times I'm sitting in a square trying to get some contact with others, either in person or through my phone."
She added, "But I'm not a planner, and that's the fun in it. It's about experiencing new places. I love culture. I love to understand the planet."
She carries only the essentials she needs, she told SWNS: camping gear, a stove and pot, a camera, first aid supplies, and medicine for Butch.
"Less is more," she said. "Carrying less is more freedom. It's always a burden having more."
Despite occasional challenges, Pirngruber said her experiences have been overwhelmingly positive.
"Ninety-nine percent of people are nice, and overall, I've had some great encounters with people," she said. "It's a safe world to travel in, in general."
