We all love to take our dog on a nice long walk but one dog, in particular, is taking the longest walk ever with her owner. This is a walk around the world.
In 2015, Tom Turcich began a World Walk. He started on a smaller scale walking from his home in New Jersey to Austin, Texas. During this stretch of almost 2,000 miles, he started thinking it would be nice to have a companion walk with him. This journey was going to take years and he didn’t know of anyone who would be committed to this long journey. Then, he thought a dog would be the perfect addition to his journey
When Turcich arrived in Austin, he went to an adoption center and that’s where he was introduced to a three month old puppy. “I asked if I could hold her and once I did I knew she was the one for me.” Turcich bonded with the puppy, Savannah, and felt a connection to her. He knew she was the right puppy to walk the world with him.
When Turcich and Savannah left Texas they spent every minute of every day together. The two have travelled 18,000 miles together covering 37 countries. Puppy Savannah has been quite a companion, everything Turcich had wanted. Savannah and her owner walk about eight hours a day. Savannah stays by her owner’s side while on a road with traffic, or investigating an interesting scent on a country road. She can be off-leash on a country road.If an animal appears she knows not to run after it. She is diligently by her owner’s side.
Savannah is typically a calm dog. She protects her owner and stands guard at night. She will fight off anyone or anything that comes near the campsite. Savannah is faithful to Turcich and provides strength and encouragement on the journey. While on the way from Chile to Argentina, Turcich collapsed in the Andes mountains. As he was pushing a cart over the sand, his legs just gave out and he dropped to the ground. Savannah knew exactly what to do. She sat down beside him and calmly waited. As they sat together, Turcich said it made him think how amazing it was to literally be in the middle of nowhere with his very best friend.
In the next two years, the plan is to finish the world walk with Savannah. The walk will begin with 4,000 miles and include Azerbaijan to Mongolia. Then on to the continent of Australia and finishing in the United States traveling from California to New Jersey, which is home.
Completing their journey Savannah will be the first dog to walk around the world. After all the walking, Savannah will be able to relax at home with her owner. Turcich feels an enormous amount of pride and protectiveness for Savannah. They have walked across so many countries for so long. He considers it an honor to share this adventure with his best friend.