While vacationing in Tzoumerka, Greece, last month, an adventurous couple decided to hike through the mountains. The trek was breathtaking, but it wasn’t just the scenery that caught them by surprise — it was the unexpected companion that joined them along the way.
“This tiny, scruffy puppy came up from behind and touched my leg, and from that moment on, she never left my side,” one of the vacationers said in an Instagram Reel (Warning: Video contains strong language).
The short, white puppy with brown spots and ears joined the couple for the remainder of the hike, happily traversing miles alongside them until there was no more trail to explore. Then, at the end of the day, she returned to their lodging with the couple and decided to stay a while
longer.
“Every night, she slept under our door, on top of my hoodie,” the guy said.
In the mornings, the puppy would pick up right where they left off, joining them for 15-kilometer hikes each day and following them all the way back to their home base.
“[T]his 5-month-old puppy became our loyal companion,” he said.
As she bounced along the trails, the couple could tell just by the puppy’s personality that she was special. But it wasn’t until they were nearly injured in front of her that they discovered just how close she’d become.
“One day, while we were walking down the mountain in the rain, I slipped and almost fell,” the guy said. “[She] ran straight to me, whining and jumping around, trying to help. That’s when I realized this is my dog, actually. And I can’t leave her here.”
You can watch their relationship unfold here:
The puppy, whom they named Milou, had quickly evolved from a stranger into a dear friend. And although the couple lived in Berlin, Germany, as their vacation drew to a close, they felt compelled to bring her with them.
They took Milou to the vet, getting her checked out as they prepared her for international travel. Luckily, Milou was healthy enough to travel with the couple to Athens, where she would quarantine for a few weeks before meeting them in Germany.
The couple, who spent the next month preparing their home for Milou’s arrival, couldn’t wait to welcome their new pup.
“[N]ext week, she is finally coming home,” the guy said. “I’m super excited.”
You can watch the couple welcome Milou home here:
After nearly a month apart, Milou reunited with her forever family earlier this week, bounding into her new home in Germany with the same excited energy she exuded in Greece. Her parents and her older dog sibling have been showering her with love since.
And as they work to help her adjust to her new metropolitan life with them, the couple never stops reminding her just how perfect of a vacation souvenir she is.
“From mountain stray to Berlin bae,” the couple wrote on Instagram.
