Cyclist couple take stray dog back to UK after it ran alongside them for 100km

Two cyclists have taken a stray dog back to the UK after it ran alongside them for an entire 100km bike ride.

Veterinarian Emily Lawson, 28, was on a bike-packing trip with her partner Constantijn, 26, also a vet, when a street dog began following them through the Moroccan desert.

Now – after four months of waiting and more than £1,000 spent – Hara, the dog they couldn’t leave behind, has joined them in the UK.

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“We tried to say goodbye, but she made it clear she had chosen us,” Hannah, who lives in Plymouth, told What’s The Jam.

“She ran 80km on the first day alone – even when her paws were raw.

“We wrapped them in socks and she just kept going.”

The pair were biking from Agadir to Tangier along a remote caravan route in November 2024 when Hara, a Moroccan Beldi, appeared outside their hotel at dawn.

Hannah said: “I think I named her five minutes after we met.

“We were leaving the Sahara and ‘Hara’ just stuck.”

By the time they reached Zagora, it was clear to the couple that they couldn’t abandon their new little friend.

Hannah said: “She followed us everywhere.

“Waited outside restaurants, sniffed under doors to find us – it felt like she’d already decided we were her people.”

Unable to find a safe home for her locally, the couple contacted Sunshine Animal Refuge Agadir (SARA), a rescue shelter that agreed to take Hara in if the couple could sponsor her care and eventual adoption.

Hannah said: “Morocco was all she knew, and we really tried to rehome her there.

“But the reality is that many people are scared of dogs due to the high rabies risk, and the rescues are overwhelmed.”

Hara stayed at the shelter for four months, undergoing vaccinations, desexing and rabies bloodwork.

It cost the couple around £300 initially and £52 each month thereafter.

In total, Hannah says they spent roughly £1,500 bringing Hara home.

She arrived in the UK on 7 April.

Hannah said: “She flew, bussed, trained and ferried her way to the UK – she was nervous around elevators and revolving doors, but otherwise, she’s loving life.

“She even jumped straight on the bed.”

The couple say Hara’s journey has taught them the importance of compassion.

Hannah added: “There’s a Jane Goodall quote I love that says, ‘What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.’

“That’s how we felt with Hara – we just couldn’t walk away.

“She’s not a stray anymore. She’s ours.”

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