From Peru to Cambridge for Paddington… the pup

Sometimes you adopt the dog, sometimes the dog adopts you. And when a very affectionate puppy made friends with Mirelle Radley as she travelled through Peru, she knew she couldn’t leave him behind.

The 29-year-old research scientist originally planned to hike Machu Picchu with her cousin but a spinal fracture forced a change of plans. Staying in a remote village, a twist of fate led her to the affectionate dog she named Paddington Bear.

“I was in my hammock reading my book, head up to the sky,” said Mirelle. “And I felt something on my arm and thought my cousin was in the hammock over from me.”

But she looked down and discovered a pup who wanted to be friends.

“He was skinny, matted and looked lost. He sat down like he’d know me forever,” said Mirelle.

Given his gentle demeanour which set him apart from the many street dogs, Mirelle assumed he had an owner. But when she tried to guide him out of the fenced campsite, he returned almost instantly.

As their bond grew, Mirelle saw the harsh realities for dogs: “Some are owned, some are not owned. To be honest, some of the ones that are owned seem to have a worse life than the ones that aren’t.”

Mirelle said Paddington was just looking for some attention.

“He was going up to stray dogs. They were all growling at him. I’ve seen him get attacked by two dogs because he keeps going up to them being, ‘Do you want to be friends?’”

With encouragement from her cousin, Mirelle explored how to bringing Paddington to the UK and that led her to animal protection charity Calitas Con Canas.

“The woman at the charity explained how it works there,” she said. “Dogs that are owned tend to stay in a spot where they know they’re going to get fed. If it’s by a person, they still don’t let them sleep inside.”

Mirelle, who lives in Cambridge but is originally from Sheffield, decided Paddington was the dog for her.

“I knew that if I really wanted to, I could make it happen,” she said. “Initially I was fighting myself – my brain was ‘no, you’re supposed to be sensible and not be impulsive’. But in the end I thought I can. And it’s fine.”

During the adoption process, Mirelle is navigating language barriers, paperwork, vaccinations, medical tests and a mandatory 90-day waiting period.

The plan is for Paddington to fly from Cusco to Lima, then to Amsterdam where Mirelle will meet him later this year before travelling to England by ferry.

As Mirelle’s story gained traction on social media, strangers rallied behind her GoFundMe appeal to cover Paddington’s medical and travel costs and it has raised more than £17,000.

The amount has surprised her – she initially asked friends and family to skip birthday presents this year and donate instead.

“I was not expecting it to go particularly viral,” she said, adding that she planned to “scrimp and save and do it”.

She is now planning what to do with Paddington.

“We can go and get a pup cup and go on dog walks,” she said. “And so many of my friends have really, really friendly dogs who just love to play.

“He’ll have friends and play all day, do really fun things and will never have to rummage through bins again in his life.”