On Sept. 28, Paul Heroux got the news that no dog owner wants to hear. Mura, his 10-year-old Shikoku dog, had terminal cancer.
Heroux, who serves as mayor of Attleboro, Massachusetts, realized that he didn’t have much time left with his beloved pet. To make the most of their remaining months, he decided to take Mura on a road trip across North America to visit her place of birth on Vancouver Island.
“I had wanted to go out and meet her breeder for a long time,” Heroux explained to CTV News Channel on Wednesday.
“I got her in 2008 and she was from Vancouver Island, but she was flown to me. And I was planning on taking a trip to the Middle East because I hadn’t had a vacation in a long time, however with the diagnosis I said I don’t want to take any time away from her, I’d rather spend what little time I had left with her.”
Heroux documented the trip with Mura in photographs. The pair visited 24 states and two provinces on their journey, which included stops at Niagara Falls, Mt. Rushmore, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park.
One of the biggest highlights, Heroux says, was a stop at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where Mura got the chance to stretch her legs.
“I thought it would be fun for her to do that, because she’s a little star in her own right,” he said.
After 12 days on the road, the dog and owner finally arrived in Vancouver Island and met the breeder. Heroux said it was an emotional experience for everyone.
“We got there and the breeder was very happy that Mura was a very well-behaved little dog,” he said.
“It was just so nice to see where my little girl came from.”
