Tenerife Couple's Asia Dream Transforms into Rescue Mission in Bosnia

Guacimara Acosta and Pedro Acevedo, a couple from Tenerife, started a dream journey over two years ago. Their goal was to travel from the Canary Islands all the way to Asia. They were able to work remotely, which allowed them to live a nomadic life and explore the world.

However, their journey has been far from easy. They've faced many challenges that forced them to change their plans and, more importantly, changed their lives forever. Now, Guacimara and Pedro share their motorhome with two Bosnian dogs, Mirno and Rodo, who have left their lives on the streets to join this new family and have settled in perfectly.

Anyone who follows Guacimara and Pedro (known as Road to Magec on social media) knows how much animals mean to them. Their first two dogs, Ra and Jack, began the trip with them but sadly passed away in Portugal.

Despite their loss, their love for animals is so strong that they couldn't ignore the terrible cruelty towards stray dogs they witnessed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"After what happened with our own dogs, we promised we wouldn't get any more, but Bosnia changed us," Pedro recalls.

In Bosnia, the couple saw the extreme conditions stray animals face, not just from harsh weather but also from human cruelty. At the Bihac city landfill, they found hundreds of dogs barely surviving among the trash, without shelter or enough food. These dogs endure extreme temperatures and face threats from hunters.

From that moment, Guacimara and Pedro knew they had to change their plans. Sightseeing and the journey to Asia became secondary; their main focus shifted to helping these animals.

They didn't just buy food and medicine or build shelters to help the dogs survive the cold winter. They also launched a charity called 'Sembrando Huellas' (Sowing Paw Prints) to raise money. They even created an animal accessories brand, Brave Paws, and still donate all profits to animal causes.

When they first arrived in Bosnia, the couple parked their motorhome near a national park, close to the landfill where they discovered the stray dogs. Rodo and Mirno were part of a pack that lived there, searching for food.

Speaking from Poland, Guacimara and Pedro shared how their lives have changed since adopting these two dogs. In Rodo's case, they feel he "chose us."

"The connection with Rodo was very strong. Almost from the beginning, he slept under the motorhome and followed me everywhere," explains Guacimara. She remembers that even when he fought with other dogs as the pack leader, "he always listened to me and let me manage the situation."

At first, they didn't plan to expand their family, especially given how difficult it would be in Bosnia. But their bond with Rodo led them to start a complicated adoption process. After several failed attempts and traveling across half the country, they finally found someone to help them with the paperwork.

With Rodo officially part of their family, they planned to continue their journey as their visa for Bosnia was running out. However, fate had another surprise in store.

Leaving Bosnia with two dogs wasn't in their plans, but adopting Mirno became necessary to save her life.

"We didn't intend to adopt her because we didn't want to separate her from her daughter," they said. But Mirno's situation was critical. She was about 7 years old, and it's rare for older street dogs to survive the extreme cold and other dangers. As winter approached, Mirno chose to take shelter inside their motorhome instead of the shelters they had built. Her daughter, however, stayed outside for hours.

As the couple prepared to leave the country, they went to say goodbye to the pack. Mirno, as usual, got back into their vehicle.

Suddenly, "the director of the National Park came to tell us to leave, and we drove off with her, intending to return her to the pack. But a heavy snowfall blocked us for five days. We couldn't take her back, and leaving her alone somewhere else or with another pack wasn't an option," they explained.

Given the circumstances, they had no choice but to adopt her too. After another complex process, they succeeded.

Adopting these dogs hasn't been easy, especially with Rodo, who weighs over 40 kilos and has a strong personality. "They have lived very hard lives and have traumas," they clarified. Guacimara has even trained and sought professional help to help them adjust. "It's complicated because we can't find any trainer who wants to work with our dogs, although we have the help of an animal behaviorist from Tenerife who guides us through online consultations," says Pedro. Despite the difficulties, they are overjoyed to report that "they are progressing very quickly." Rodo, for example, can now be around other dogs without trying to attack them, which was a common reaction when he felt threatened before.

This family of four is now focused on finding places where Mirno and Rodo can be happy, live freely, and overcome their past traumas.

"Our lives have changed completely; now everything revolves around them," they explained. Because of their new family members' needs, they've changed their route and only go to places where the dogs will be comfortable. "We had the goal of going to Asia, and now our goal is to live peacefully," they clarified.

While they don't rule out returning to their original destination someday, they've decided to head towards Northern Europe, where animal welfare is more advanced.

Currently, the family is in Poland, a country they love. "Here we have found wonderful people we can trust, and our dogs are doing well," they concluded.

Guacimara Acosta and Pedro Acevedo began their nomadic life over two years ago, and they've certainly achieved it. Their blog shows they've spent over 1,000 days and traveled 19,000 kilometers, radically changing their lives.

They've been able to do this thanks to their professions: Guacimara is a journalist specializing in communication and digital marketing, and Pedro is a software developer. Both are now digital nomads with several projects underway.

They also plan to create a documentary about the terrible situation they found with stray animals in Bosnia. They claim there's "a mafia" among some NGOs that are supposed to help animals in the country. "We have to push this project forward, even though we know we're going to get into trouble," they explained. Although some of their recorded material isn't currently with them, they intend to complete this documentary at some point.