Woman feared dogs, then began trekking all over the world with newly adopted pup
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.
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.
"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.
"With Butch, I always have someone there. I am never alone. I have such a connection with him."
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.
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.
"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."
"I love living day-by-day. I love not knowing where I am staying each night or where I can pitch my tent."
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."
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
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3 hours ago
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
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73 Million People Watched This Teen's Churro Explode In Her Dad's Face — Here's What Went Wrong
This week in food news, a teen is making churros for Spanish class. I know what you're thinking: must be a slow news week. I thought so too. Until I watched the video about the classic Mexican crunchy pastry with a "surprise" center — and over 73 million TikTok views (and counting). Meet TikTok user Morgan — the high schooler who just wanted to ace her school project by making homemade churros. As the video's caption stated, it was her first time making the fried dough treat. She sat her father down to try her chocolate-dipped project, stating in American-accented Spanish: "a tiempo probar los churros." Everything was going great… until her dad took the first bite on camera. Cue: the explosion. Morgan let out a startled laugh after her dad's first bite made a sound like a gunshot and bits of churro flew out of his mouth. People's hilarious reactions to the video were probably a small consolation as Morgan and her dad cleaned up the dough shrapnel. One TikTok user commented: "girl, they said assignment, not assassinate." Another commented: "Spanish project or science project?" The comments were FLOODED with more than just reactions — people were trying to figure out what happened: And a few food science-savvy chimed in with their opinions. One user argued: "The churro exploded because steam got trapped inside the dough, and the pressure blew it up when it couldn't escape. Basically, [she] made a mini pastry bomb." And yep — they're right! Churro dough contains egg, which produces steam when fried. Another comment furthered the point: "That's why churros are a star shape with lines on them and not round." If you looked closely, you can see this Spanish project is missing a key feature of most churros: the ridged edges: Turns out those little ridges on the fritters aren't just for show. They increase the dough's surface area, allowing steam to escape, which is critical to preventing what happened to Morgan's dad. Trapped hot steam doesn't just ruin the churro, it can also be dangerous. People in the comments were seriously worried about her dad — if the steam had actually burned him — so they made sure to give us an update video. In an update video, the dad said, "I took a bite and thought my head was going to blow off.... I won't be able to taste anything for at least a year... my lips are burned, but I'm not dead." Morgan laughed in reaction to the exploding churro, which could make you think it was some sort of prank. One commenter suggested foul play, saying, "I'm convinced there's a reason you didn't go first lmao." But the father was just an unfortunate snafu. In the follow-up video, the dad said, "It was a total accident. 100%. We were both in shock... She's a good daughter." People were both wildly entertained by the update on the whole debacle and incredibly relieved. No word yet on whether Morgan's exploding churros earned her a passing grade — but if viral views count, she's got an A+ in the bag! If you're suddenly craving the cinnamon-sugary street food, but don't want to suffer the same fate as Morgan, check out our churro recipes by downloading the free Tasty app and searching "churro." Our "How To Make Perfect Churros Every Time" recipe tutorial is foolproof! Ironically, we even have a "molten churro bomb recipe" — But, if it's Morgan reading this, mayyyybe wait a few weeks before trying out this recipe with your dad.
