Street dog followed bikers for 62 miles through the scorching Sahara Desert. They refused to abandon him

For any animal person, being chosen by one is the most wonderful feeling. A group of bikers can confirm that, as a stray dog ran alongside them for around 62 miles through the Sahara Desert. Emily Lawson, who goes by @thenomadvet.nz on Instagram, shared Hara, a street dog's story on the platform and how she ended up with her as her pet in the UK after she followed them for miles. Lawson shared that they couldn't leave the dog's side because she didn't leave theirs.

"Last year, we embarked on a bike packing trip, following an old caravan route along the length of Morocco," Lawson recounted. "It was as we were leaving the infamous Sahara that we were joined by a companion — a dusty, dingo-looking stray." The dog was asleep on a curb when she walked over to the group for some head scratches. "As the day progressed, she continued happily trotting by our sides until we stopped for lunch at 50km." By that time, the group noticed that the dog wouldn't be able to walk any further because her paws were worn out. But they couldn't part ways with her there because it was in the middle of nowhere. "We wrapped our socks onto her feet and with a little bit of extra protection, she made it 80km that day."

They had 1000 kilometres yet to go, and the dog didn't want to leave their side, so they thought of finding a temporary home for Hara in Morocco. "However, as one of the 3 million stray dogs and with rabies a huge concern, pet dogs are not commonly looked upon kindly." The group had many "difficult discussions" about Hara after that. "Hara followed us unknowingly for food, water, shelter, or health. She was the definition of a man's best friend. Or maybe she just likes bikes," Lawson expressed. Hara had to stay in Morocco for the next few months to have her bloodwork checked and to clear her for rabies, per Newsweek, before she found a new home.

According to another video, Lawson headed back to Morocco after a few months. "At the start of April, Hara is going into a foster home initially to settle her into her new life as a pet. There’s going to be a lot of changes coming up for this girl, but no matter what, she will be surrounded by the love she deserves." In another update, the woman shared that Hara had made it back to the UK with them after a 24-hour journey. "Dogs can’t fly directly into the UK from Morocco, so we flew through Amsterdam and then crossed from the Netherlands by ferry." However, Hara handled the journey really well, and they could make it back to the country with her safely.

The dog is currently staying with Lawson, and she has decided to take things as they come, per a post. The woman also shared snippets of Hara's new life and how she was settling as a "UK dawg." People shared their thoughts on the story in the comments section of the post. @emmarushton wrote, "She’s truly your soul dog. Not a lot of people get to experience something like this and it’s nice to see the lengths you have both gone for each other." @terranovasantacruz commented, "What a transformation in a dog's life. She's your dog, she chose you! She's a remarkable dog, fits right into western-style bougie dog life. She probably even eats organic."

Dogs really are our best friends, giving us unconditional love and support even when we can't quite reciprocate to that degree. For them, we are their whole world, and it is heartwarming to see someone treat them the way the deserve.

You can follow Emily Lawson (@thenomadvet.nz) on Instagram for more updates.