Many of you will already know the incredible story of Mirelle and Paddington, the street dog she met while travelling in Peru. From the moment they crossed paths, Paddington just wouldn’t leave her side. He greeted her in the morning, waited patiently outside her Airbnb, and followed her all the way into town, day after day. As she documented their bond, the video went viral — and it became clear to everyone watching that this wasn’t just a holiday encounter. Mirelle didn’t just meet a dog; Paddington chose her.

She fell in love instantly and decided to name him Paddington because he was “a bear who needed someone to look after him”. She also decided at this moment she was going to try and bring him home to the UK. But she couldn’t take him straight away. Paddington had to stay in Peru for 4 months, so she found a doggy daycare nearby who could look after him and sort all the vaccinations he needed to travel.

Four months later, Mirelle flew all the way back to Peru to reunite with him. She didn’t know if he’d remember her, or even care, but the second he saw her, he sprinted as fast as he could, covering her in excited face kisses.

Then the real journey began: taxis, two planes, long drives… and a problem at border control. The Peruvian government had written the wrong date on his microchip form, making it invalid at French border control. So Mirelle had to drive all the way to Belgium with Paddington to get new papers issued by vets, then back to France, across the English Channel, and finally home to the UK. He is now living a new life with his soul mate.