My first dog, my greatest gift: Our 30,000km story.

My friend wasn’t popular and couldn’t be adopted, so the window for adoption had already passed (I think she was around six months old?). That’s when I met her at a shelter that took in dogs like her. When I went there, there were dozens of purebred dogs, but among them, I was drawn to her as if it were fate. For the past eight years, she has truly been a gift to me—almost like a gift sent by God.

I’m so grateful that she’s still healthy. While she’s still doing well, I want her to enjoy the world as much as possible. I wonder how many more years she can continue enjoying life like she does now. She’s my first dog, so I really don’t know. People say their energy suddenly drops as they get older…

And that is why since she turned 6, we’ve been seeking out a new environment every single day. Even though this is my first time living with a dog, I could feel how much she loves exploring new places. For the first five years, we walked in the same park every day, and I could tell she was getting bored. Around that same time, I was struggling too—walking the same path every day started to take a toll on my mental health, and I even began to dread our walks.

To change things, I started using a bicycle, and over the last three years, I think we’ve traveled over 30,000 kilometers together. Since then, my friend Jenny has changed so much. She isn't really interested in dog parks anymore; instead, she loves meeting people and seems to truly understand the joy of discovering new places. She’s become more adventurous, confident, and relaxed. Watching her evolve through our travels, I realized that dogs, just like people, change when they see and experience more of the world.

We usually spend 4–5 hours outside every day, almost like a picnic. But my friend has short legs, so she can’t walk for too long 🤣 I always worry about her health, so I only feed her New Zealand freeze-dried food and try to make sure she lives with as little stress as possible. She only gets a bath about once a year.

It suddenly made me wonder how other dogs live and how they stay healthy. I’ve always believed that good food, moderate activity, and a stress-free life—these three things are the most important. My only wish is to keep traveling with her for as long as possible. I truly hope she stays by my side for a long, long time.

I’d love your advice.