dog

lu lu the dog montenegro kruce crna gora couchsurfing

Lu Lu the Dog (Kruče, MNE)

Iris Veldwijk

Meet Lu Lu, the dog who seriously knows how to chill. She’s Aleksandra’s and she’s one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. She’s quite big, which is why I think she deserves to occupy the outdoor’s bed. Aleksandra, her dog, and I often go swimming down at the beach. It’s not the best beach in the whole wide world, but it’s petite and secluded. I think that’s more important in a beach. And there’s always a stick to throw to play fetch with Lu Lu. I haven’t seen her on a leash yet, which is also not necessary asContinue reading

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photogenic street pups bosnia and herzegovina sarajevo 4

Photogenic Street Pups in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Iris Veldwijk

Though the concept of stray puppies, dogs, and other pets makes me sad, I love puppies. I love to see them all day, every day. Here in Vrelo Bosne park in Sarajevo, I encountered this litter of sweet photogenic street pups. They were so fluffy and playful and a little sleepy. They reminded me of the pups that lived with us in Vake Park in Georgia. This is also about as good as my photography skills will get, I’m afraid.   But it’s also heartbreaking. The mom dog was nowhere in sight. I’m not sure if these photogenic street pups wereContinue reading

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Hitch Sibiu to Timișoara Romania with a dog

Sibiu to Timișoara: A Fluffy Hitchhiking Companion in Romania

Iris Veldwijk

When hitchhiking from pleasant Sibiu to Timișoara, I had a very lucky ride. The driver couple had this very sweet dog that I shared the back seat with. I know, I know… the dog looks like she’s not having a great time or is quite hungover. But I swear the dog was just enjoying my scritches. As this huge dog was a source of heat, I soon had to take off my winter hat, gloves, scarf, and coat to make this work. I’ve been wanting to travel to Timișoara since that first summer hitchhiking trip around Europe in 2013. I’d heard goodContinue reading

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Ashley sleeping dog pet liften thuis home nederland hond loosdrecht

Ashley the Sleeping Dog (My Mom’s)

Iris Veldwijk

My dog falling asleep in my coat near the cheese. It’s so cute it hurts. Her name is Ashley and she’s been with my mom’s side of the family since I was ten or elevenish. I grew up with her and taught her tricks. I still remember the stink on my fingers of the dog treats I gave to her when she did a good roll or jump. There are loads of memories here. I kind of realized that I never write much about what life looks like when I’m at my family’s. When I’m at my mom’s my daysContinue reading

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puppy street pup turkey turkiye animal shelter

Turkish Animal Shelter in Hatay, Turkey

Iris Veldwijk

I brought last night’s puppy to a Turkish animal shelter in Hatay today. My contact at the construction site took this photo for me this morning before he drove me – under slight protest – across Hatay to an animal shelter (Turkish: hayvan barınağı). That’s why I look so happy. After that, I started the journey with this pup wrapped in my arms in the car and into the shelter. To be honest, I don’t feel good about dropping the puppy off at the Turkish animal shelter. It’s the cruelest thing I’ve done in my life. Upon arrival, there were a lotContinue reading

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puppy street pup turkey turkiye animal shelter

Puppy Savior Complex (Hatay, Turkey)

Iris Veldwijk

Here in Hatay, my host asked me to move to the office of a friend’s construction site to go (sort of?) couchsurfing. The old place I was staying at wasn’t suitable, or something like that. I was there all alone sleeping in the darkness of night on said couch when I heard the cries of a puppy outside. I waited for half an hour until I couldn’t take it anymore. Like a night watch, I ventured out and into the cold to approach the call for help. I searched and searched by torchlight for the source of the squeaks untilContinue reading

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