Just over 3 months ago I lost my soulmate and better half of me Flora.

Struggling to cope with the sadness and the void Flora's loss has left I've decided to try and turn my grief into something positive. So I will be hiking the 500 miles of the Camino Frances from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in aid of the charity that brought our lives together SSD UK. I'll be starting on September 25th and finishing around 28th October (hopefully).

Why the Camino? Mine and Flora's paths continuously crossed those of the various Caminos throughout our wonderful 8 years exploring our beloved Northwest Spain together, and whilst I'll be doing it alone physically, spiritually Flora will be with me every step/paw of the way as she always was and is - it'll be our Camino.

Flora was rescued from the streets of dusty Southern Spain in about 2013 when she was about 1, and she then spent the next 2 years at the Los Barrios Municipal dog pound which is where the charity Spanish Stray Dogs does their very best to make the lives of the dogs as bearable as possible in difficult circumstances. They try to rehome as many dogs as possible, and that is how mine and Flora's lives and souls became forever intertwined thanks to these amazing selfless people. Those that get stuck in the pound for long periods (like Flora) or can't be re-homed, the volunteers help make their days a little brighter.

The thing is, SSD UK is more than a charity that looks after rescued dogs. These dogs that they rescue go on to enrich the lives of so many people throughout the world. From the harsh Spanish council pound, they send out these little bundles of furry magic that help change people's lives and those of people around them creating a ripple effect everywhere. They do all of this for nothing, often in hopeless circumstances, the volunteers continue to show up day in and day out with the sole purpose of doing good in the world. So when you donate money to charities like SSD you are doing more than just feeding a homeless dog, you are helping create hundreds of stories which would never have otherwise been written. And more often than not, the rescuers/adopters find out that they are actually the ones being rescued - and there can be no price put on that.

I could not imagine a lifetime that didn't have a Flora in it, and I have Spanish Stray Dogs to thank for this. I hope you can find a few pennies to help them continue doing what they do, to help them continue changing lives for the better, both human and canine.

Grief they say is just love with nowhere to go, well now I'm giving somewhere to go - all the way to Santiago🐾👣

I'll be posting along the way on my Instagram for anyone who may wish to follow: @davejsy

Thank you

Dave & Flora ❤️

*The money you donate is paid directly SSD UK :)