Three years ago, my life changed.

The date is November 21, 2022.

My partner, Ana, and I crossed our first international border in the van a few days ago. We were excited, nervous, and in awe of the journey that we decided to embark on as we entered Mexico at the Tecate border, not realizing just how far south we’d actually end up.

While the next three years would make border crossings a fairly routine thing in our lives, this was the first land crossing. We didn’t speak Spanish. We had no idea what to expect. We were worried about having all the right paperwork.

I remember the butterflies in my stomach as we could see the border approaching. We pulled over at a currency exchange place to swap some dollars for pesos… and to take some deep breaths.

As far as borders go, this would be one of the calmest of the entire journey—but we didn’t know that yet.

A border official asked if we had any tobacco or alcohol, to which we answered, “A half bottle of wine… do you want it?” He politely declined, and we were on our way.

Absolutely amazed that we drove a vehicle into a foreign country, we immediately headed into the wine region, Valle de Guadalupe, to celebrate. We stopped at a winery that had live music every Saturday. It happened to be a Saturday! We tried some wine, got some food, and spent the night “dry camping” in our van on their property. We were beyond happy.

We made it.

Little did we know our lives would change forever in two days.

Ana and I decided (well, really I convinced her) that we should foster a dog for the two months we planned to be in Baja California, Mexico, before crossing into the mainland.

We could help a local rescue organization get some exposure for their social media and hopefully find a dog their forever home.

For whatever reason, Ana didn’t realize that the same day we were to arrive at Los Adoptables (“The Adoptables” in Spanish) would be the same day we leave with a dog. I thought I explained the plan pretty well, but apparently not. I’ll blame the language barrier! Kidding…

I was already speaking with Pris via WhatsApp. She is the founder of this NGO and an incredible woman doing incredible work to help dogs.

We drove a bit outside Ensenada to this shelter and walked inside.

The women volunteering gave us treats to feed the over 100 dogs they had at the time. We walked slowly past each area, giving treats to everyone. Some dogs were nervous and shying away, while others aggressively stole all the treats.

I remember barking. So much barking. It was hard to think. It was a hard place to be in… so much stimuli.

We saw a friendly dog that we thought was super cute, not sure if we should have some in mind to mention that we wanted to foster.

Once inside, we spoke more with Pris.

I explained our situation more — that we’re a nomadic couple living in a van, active, into hiking and other sports, looking for a dog that physically fits in our tiny home-on-wheels, and that’s also not ridden with anxiety, as we’ll be on the move and exploring a lot.

After running various situations through my head, I decided the best plan of action would be to ask them to determine who they think would be the best fit for us to foster.

Pris and the other volunteers all looked at each other. They spoke some Spanish, which—to me— sounded like, “We know just the dog for you!”

They looked at each other, and almost in unison said, “Paquito!” as their faces exuberated positivity and big smiles took over.

Everyone disappeared for a couple of minutes, and, just like that, Paquito entered the room.

He was a bit nervous, but his tail was wagging, like he was ready for his two-month adventure.

We hadn’t seen Paquito when passing out treats. He must have been in a section with more dominant dogs, probably hiding out in the back for some peace.

I remember how dirty he was. This part of Baja is extremely dusty, so Paquito’s white coat was a bit more off-white. He must have sat down near a puddle of pee recently, too, because his tail was a bit yellow.

We popped him in the van. That moment was surreal. Having a dog in the van felt like we were dreaming.

We immediately drove to the nearest mall to get a collar, a dog bed, food, and other essentials. There was also a groomer at this mall, and we decided to get Paquito professionally bathed.

I remember the following moment like it was yesterday.

I only had Paquito for less than an hour, and handing him over to the groomer brought me to tears.

I already felt an immense responsibility to care for him and protect him.

Looking back, this was the first sign that I had found my soul dog, that Ana and I would be foster fails, and that we would end up adopting the best boy in the world.

About two months later, after initially joking with the idea of adopting (even though we said we were not going to adopt, no matter how attached we got), then considering adoption more seriously… it came down to the wire of having to give a yes/no decision to keep him or find him another home.

We decided that Paquito was a part of our pack.

This wasn’t the plan.

And I remember making the decision.

Ana and I were driving the van down a canyon after a magical few days’ stay at one of the most special campgrounds of the entire trip, in San Dionísio.

We went on lots of hikes along the river, with giant white rocks on both sides. This was where Paquito showed us he was really into hiking. We joked that he was a parkour dog, scaling rocks and doing insane jump maneuvers I didn’t know were possible for a dog his size.

Over the past two months, he had really opened up, become more trusting, and just made sense in our lives… except for the fact that we planned on driving to South America and had no idea how to continue this type of travel with a dog!

During the drive down the canyon, with less than an hour to make a decision about Paquito, I cried the most tears I had cried since my Dad died when I was 18 years old.

The floodgates were opened. I couldn’t rationalize keeping him, but I felt that the universe brought him into my life for a reason. I felt a connection to him that I had never felt with a dog before, a huge responsibility to be his guardian that had already brought me so much joy and meaning.

Then there was the fact that we didn’t pick Paquito. He was picked for us. There were over 100 dogs that Los Adoptables could have brought for us… but they knew Paquito was the one. A unanimous decision without any second thought.

The universe did indeed have a plan. I couldn’t imagine my life without Paquito, and the thought of giving back the perfect dog for me because it “wasn’t the right time” with all the travel plans just didn’t sit well with me.

I couldn’t say no. I tried, and everything in my body convulsed with that action. The answer had to be yes. I didn’t really have a choice.

So, we said yes.

And every day after, Ana and I said the same thing before going to bed: “I’m so glad we adopted him.”

Now, three years later, I am sitting with Paquito in the same wine region of Mexico outside his hometown as we prepare to cross the border today into the United States of America.

The US will be his 16th country. How crazy is that?

Yesterday (November 21, 2025) marked three years since Paquito came into my life.

And do you know where we happened to be on this exact day?

Exactly where we decided to foster him.

Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Los Adoptables.

I drove to the rescue organization, hoping to see Pris, and we did!

Paquito remembered her and the place. He seemed happy to be there. To me, it’s obvious just how much love he was given there. A second chance at life. And he knew it. I was worried he might think I was taking him back… but he knew exactly what we were doing.

I didn’t mention this before, but Paquito was found near the rescue. They think he was hit by a car, and he also had a BB pellet lodged in his cheek that had to be removed. Someone probably shot him with it.

Safe to say, his life was probably pretty rough before experiencing the love of Pris and Los Adoptables.

I will forever be thankful to them.

I shared a huge hug with Pris as we both got teary-eyed.

This whole journey feels so full-circle.

Paquito has been by our side for so many incredible adventures, from hiking volcanoes in Guatemala to camping on the salt flats of Bolivia.

But the moments I remember most aren’t those—they’re the little moments of everyday life.

Waking up with no space on the bed as he curls up next to me, eventually stretching on his back and demanding belly and neck rubs.

The way he boops me with his nose when he wants to sit with me while I’m journaling in the morning.

How he plays with other dogs, always ready to be chased.

When he starts digging frantically or rubbing his back on grass and freaking out in the best possible way when we say, “Go crazy!”

The way he makes noises when he stretches, yawning like a human.

How he tucks his nose under the bend of his back-left leg when he lies down.

He’s a bundle of love.

Three years of so many adventures together.

While I’m amazed at just how many incredible moments (and tough moments) we’ve shared, those three years seem to have passed quickly.

Paquito is a reminder to live life to the fullest and pack as much beauty and adventure into each year as possible.

Year #4 is going to be epic, Paquito! Te amo muito, filho… o único mexicano que não fala espanhol.

This is a quick post, as I write this morning and need to get packing for the border, but I didn’t want to leave this post for another day. I may add some pictures later, but for now, I want this to exist and be out in the world.

The other day, Ana and I realized how we had never written down Paquito’s story.

So here it is — a very, very short version. The rest, for now, will be in our hearts and minds. ❤️

If you are reading this and thinking about life with a dog, fostering is one of the best things you can do to see if you and the dog you foster are a good match. Alternatively, if you just want to foster, that’s also amazing and helps get dogs out of high-stress kennels for a while. Plus, rescues are at maximum capacity all around the world… there are more dogs needing homes than people ready to give them homes.

In the US alone, around 900 dogs are euthanized every day at high-kill shelters because there isn’t enough space for the constant influx of dogs. It’s a massive problem, but it’s “less obvious” than in other countries because it’s kept out of sight.

I was considering getting a dog from a breeder many years ago, not realizing just how awful that was until a close friend shared these facts with me.

Please adopt, and don’t shop. There is no such thing as an “ethical breeder”, as they’re forcing dogs to procreate for financial profit in a world where there’s already a giant surplus of dogs living in poverty and being put down because there aren’t enough people to adopt them... At the end of the day, the dogs are commodities for breeders.

Let’s bring that 900 number down to 0. There are so many good boys and girls waiting for their forever home, and so many organizations running spay and neuter clinics to fight this seemingly never-ending global battle.