British backpacker raises £18k to bring dog Paddington home with her
A British backpacker raised £18k to bring a stray dog she named Paddington back from Peru after it refused to leave her side.
Mirelle Radley, 29, was travelling through South America in April with her cousin, Adam Radley, 40, when the pair stopped at a village called Ollantaytambo.
While Mirelle was lying in a hammock reading, she felt something nip her and noticed a stray mutt, which they believe to be a Shepherd-mix, wanting her attention.
Mirelle instantly fell in love with the pooch, who followed her around for the rest of her trip, and affectionately named him Paddington after the fictional bear from the same country.
Her stopover in the Sacred Valley was only meant to last for five days, but she couldn't bear to leave Paddington behind, so she decided to bring him back to the UK.
While Mirelle had to return home, she sorted temporary accommodation for Paddington – while he had the necessary vet checks, including blood tests and vaccinations – but he is due to be flown over to the UK in August.
Mirelle, a research scientist from Cambridge, said: 'I was just sitting in my hammock and this dog just appeared from nowhere. I was reading, and then all of a sudden, something was biting on my arm.
'I turned to look and my cousin was like 'you've got a friend here'. He [Paddington] wouldn't leave me alone. He would constantly follow us into town to the shop. I couldn't leave him there.'
Mirelle said having the countdown to August has been hard because she's not a 'patient' person.
Described as 'skinny, matted and looking lost', Paddington was begging street vendors for food before latching onto Mirelle.
'He followed us round everywhere, we tried to leave without him noticing. He followed us all the way down to the village half a mile down the hill,' Mirelle added.
Despite losing him in the crowds, Paddington soon found his way back to the duo, who initially stopped short of feeding him, believing the dog had a home to return to.
But the next morning, Paddington was still sitting outside her cabin.
With her time in the country running out, Mirelle decided to begin the process of moving Paddington to the UK.
She launched a GoFundMe appeal to raise the money that would make the journey possible and credits strangers on TikTok with helping her raise £18k to fly Paddington to his new home.
The money is being used to cover tests, paperwork and full check-ups with vets. Any leftover funds will be used to fly another rescue dog to a woman in Germany.
She said: 'People seem to have been really moved, and it's really very kind of everybody to want to take time out of their day and money out of their pocket to donate to help that little dog get home, and also other dogs get homes.
'If I can leave that fundraiser open and people happen to see it because they've seen my one video and then they can donate money that will help more than just my one dog, that's a win for me.'
Helped by Colitas Con Canas, a local sanctuary for dogs, Mirelle managed to find a temporary home for Paddington in order for him to undergo a series of blood tests, vaccinations and a quarantine before leaving Peru.
She said: 'He is currently staying with a woman called Natalia at this boarding house. I text her a couple of times week to get updates and she lets me know how he's doing.'
Mirelle now expects to be reunited with Paddington in the UK in August. More Trending
Paddington will fly from Cusco to Lima, before boarding a flight from Lima to Amsterdam, where the pair will be reunited.
Paddington isn't the first stray Mirelle, a former veterinary science student, has brought home. She used to come home with pigeons.
'Anything that decidedly looks like it needs help, I'll be like 'oh, dad, I've just got a house martin that I'm just going to keep in my room until it can fly again'.'
As for Paddington, she said: 'He will have a nice life where he's at least fed every day and not be scared that he's going be run over by a car or attacked by another dog for the rest of his life.'
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