It was a road trip of a lifetime!

A Rescue dog was supposed to be turned over by a man named Henry Friedman to his new family, but when their plans changed, he decided to take the dog in, and they’ve been on an exciting journey since then.

Henry and his brother Elias—who was also the founder of ‘The Dogist’—rescued a stray puppy in Puerto Rico in May 2018. They planned on setting off on a cross-country adventure from New York to South California and documented it as the dog’s ‘freedom ride.’

Thirty-year-old Henry left his career in advertising and lived in a converted cargo van. When the dog’s supposed family changed their minds about getting the puppy, Henry decided to adopt Finn himself.

In an interview, he explained that it was initially just a test drive—he was living in a van, after all. Soon he found out that the puppy made an excellent travel dog, and they became very close. He created an Instagram account called @KeepingFinn after adopting the dog. It showcases their life together where they can be seen doing fun stuff such as hikes in picturesque locations.

Finn is now an almost-three-year-old and 50-pound’ super mutt.’ He has also improved his fur-dad’s #vanlife adventure. Henry says that having Finn around doesn’t make him feel like a stranger despite going everywhere.

In August 2019, Henry wanted to make use of his social media presence even further. So he began a project that aims to rescue animals like Finn. Every month, they feature a local rescue facility in their account from the area that they visit during their travels to create awareness and raise funds towards the rescue.

Henry mentions the importance of highlighting rescues—that many people only know about the rescue facility where they got their dog from. He says that they are able to create a significant impact on where they’re going and what they’re doing.

The dynamic duo was able to raise roughly $13,000 monthly through Patreon. To date, they have raised $150,000 collectively. Together with this initiative, they have also sponsored spay and neuter clinics, free vaccinations, and conducted pet food drives, too. They were also instrumental in helping more than 60 dogs find families and even fostered a few canines in their van as they await their perfect match.

Henry says that what they are doing is ‘undeniably good’—and we couldn’t agree more!

The pair has recently participated in Wings of Rescue and The Sato Project during a flight that transported over 150 dogs rescued from Puerto Rico, where they brought them to their new families on the east coast.

Henry and Finn took two puppies from the flight and are on a freedom ride with them. They are having the best time with the two, stopping at scenic destinations and other rescue facilities with the same objective: go on an adventure and donate for the cause of other animals who need the support.

This exciting tale has indeed turned 360 for Henry, who initially planned to live inside a van for only six months—now, he’s on his third year. His selfless plan of driving Finn home two years ago ended up with a happily ever after on the road together. Henry says he can see both of them living inside the van for at least five more years.

And what makes Henry really happy? That Finn has never peed in the same place more than once! It looks like he’s living his best life for sure.

Source: Finn and Henry / Instagram

The post Rescued Dog’s Cross-Country Journey To His New Home Becomes An Adventure Of A Lifetime Geared Towards Saving Other Canines appeared first on Paw Style.