Myself and my partner have both been visiting and volunteering at Maxi's Mates - a local rescue and rehoming centre - for years. Last year, we finally reached a stage in our life where we had the time to adopt a dog of our own and give them the life that they truly deserve. So in March 2019, we adopted Dora, a 2 year-old Labradoodle. 

It was love at first sight and the first day we met her is the day we brought her home. The car journey back was a whirlwind of emotions for us and I bet it was for her too. We were extremely excited but we underestimated how worrying this journey could potentially be for her. Who are you? Where are we going? Am I safe? Who knows what she was thinking.

As we arrived home, it became evident just how anxious Dora really was. I remember us sitting on the floor of the living room as she sat and cried facing the wall. She was so nervous and withdrawn and we sat in silence waiting for her to have the confidence to approach us.

Seeing her so uncomfortable, we worried if we had made a mistake.

After a couple hours, she started to relax and decompress - attempting basic interactions with us. When we brought Dora home, we had no idea what to expect, neither did she. We were about to embark on a journey that would change all of our lives.

The reality of it is, a lot of people see pictures and videos on social media of the finished product, "The worlds best dog". But it is always a work in progress and it takes a lot of work behind the scenes. It takes a lot of determination, patience and consistency. It can be the most challenging and frustrating thing.... but definitely the most rewarding.

Over the next few weeks and many months to follow her true character started to show and fast forward - here we are approaching our first anniversary with her. And now this withdrawn little dog now loves her life with her new family: exploring the outdoors; playing with her ball; going on as many adventures as she can and she has never looked back.

Infact, it went so well with Dora - we adopted her a little baby sister to enjoy her new life with - little baby Florence - who is nearly a year old.

Dora has changed my life in so many positive ways that I have been trying to think of something special to do to celebrate our first year together. She has become such an adventurous dog and has become super fit whilst we spend time together exploring the likes of the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District etc.

I can't think of anything better than 12 days of trekking 182 miles across the country from Coast to Coast with my best friend and hopefully I can raise some money for this fantastic charity. I will be posting regular updates of our training and will cover our full 12 days on our instagram page. @pathsandpawsuk ( www.instagram.com/pathsandpawsuk )

Thanks to Maxi's for all the amazing work you do. 

*PLEASE NOTE* None of the money donated will be used to fund my trip or expenses etc. Also, Dora is extremely fit, but she will be monitored daily and her mum is on standby to come and collect her if needs be.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.