The journeys of Macha and Marvin, our two Wouafer's adventurers... Discover the incredible project of Marvin and his dog Macha for a world tour!

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This time, I wasn't the one interviewing Macha and Marvin. I would have loved to chat with them because, as you'll discover below, they're living an incredible adventure together. I'm the first to say LOUD AND CLEAR that adopting a dog changes your life (proof being that when I adopted Musher, I created EmmĂšneTonChien.com so we could finally travel together easily!) . Here again, it's confirmed; I'll let you discover just how much Macha has changed Marvin's life.

To tell you about their wonderful adventure, I'll let Cosmos and Caro , your very first ambassadors (I'll tell you more about them soon 😉), take it from here. These two road trip enthusiasts interviewed Marvin because they were touched by his story, his resilience, and his energy. "Life's a bitch" is an expression that perfectly describes him; he decided to turn things around and bring a dog into his life to ward off bad luck.

Cosmos and Caro: it's up to you!

Hello everyone, so I'm taking over with Cosmos. Some time ago a friend of mine told me about Masha and Marvin. Touched by his story, he thought that I would surely like to tell it on my own blog. Almost blind, Marvin set off to walk around the world with his dog. Amazing! So I sent him a message via FB to offer him an interview and within 10 minutes he had replied to me. I let you discover his adventure and his beautiful Masha.

Marvin and Macha's project

I had a “difficult” childhood, to say the least, with quite terrible family dramas. I was brought up with my brothers by my grandmother who fortunately took over. I studied chef, which I passed brilliantly. I was promised a bright future in the profession but at 18, I learned that I was suffering from a serious illness, pigmentary retinopathy. It progresses continuously and will eventually make me blind. Today, I can only see with my right eye, about 10%. I can still use social media by inverting the colors and using a magnifying glass, but I no longer see in 3D.

Two years ago, I again had to face a big family drama. I found myself alone and in a “logical” sequence, I lost my job. I then fell into a deep depression, and then I decided to bounce back. Even if life is against me, I move forward as best I can. This is how Masha came into my life. It was a real breath of fresh air.

I had the idea to open the first restaurant in France employing disabled staff, like myself. It's very difficult to find a job when you can only work 3 or 4 hours a day. Not to mention the workplace adjustments. It's extremely demoralizing for us. I applied for grants from various organizations and pooled all my private funds for this project; I only need €6,000 to finalize it. So, I launched a crowdfunding campaign on KissKissBankBank for my project, "Les Toques Noires" (The Black Hats). I didn't have many resources to promote this campaign. However, I have time and determination. So, I decided to travel around the world with my dog, on foot and completely self-sufficient. For Macha, it means amazing walks for months (or even years), and for me, I can say that I've seen the world before becoming totally blind. I'm 32 years old and have my whole life ahead of me, but not my eyes.

Masha, dog trotter

I already had travel plans in mind when I started looking to adopt a dog. I chose an Anatolian Shepherd after hours of research on the internet because I wanted the strongest and most powerful dog.

Once I'd made my choice, I found the Goutte Noire kennel in the Creuse region. They happened to have puppies ready to go to their new homes. Almost a week later, I was there. When I arrived, there were about fifty Anatolian Shepherds. The older dogs sniffed me to get acquainted. After we talked, the breeder chose a puppy whose temperament he thought would be a good match for me. This puppy refused to be touched
 After a few minutes, guess who I saw? Macha! She came up to me, sniffed me, let me pet her, and sat on my feet. I looked at the breeder and said, “I think she's the one!” Macha is a Caucasian Shepherd , to be more precise. She wasn't for sale that day, but seeing that she had chosen me, the breeder let me take her home.

Since then, I do absolutely everything with my dog. It's my own “guide dog”. I do my shopping, I live at the dentist, I fly with her in the cabin and for a few weeks, we have been traveling around the world.

When I adopted Masha, I didn't know much about her race. She is unfailingly dedicated. She is a VERY protective dog, she does not let children approach alone and women have the right to approach me. I am in good custody. 

Masha loves the snow and is a little afraid of the heat, with this heat wave of the last few days, I'm very careful about her. I am wary. 

We share everything together, we sleep together except in a tent where we each have our own for more comfort. As soon as I can, I buy him a kilo of fresh meat for his evening meal. She enjoys it, I love giving her this little pleasure. 

Macha - around the world with her dog

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Masha and Marvin's journey

To date, leaving France, we have already crossed Italy to Slovenia.

To get around, I use a pedestrian trailer that I pull with my shoulders. Holding Macha's leash, I can't always use my white cane. So, Macha always walks on the right side of the road and guides me. I just have to follow the leash's movements. Traveling around the world with your dog isn't something you can just wing; I had to get equipped.

To sleep, we have two tents. One for me and one for Masha. I admit that the first time it took me two days to put them together, but now I get there almost as fast as anyone.

To eat, it's not badly freeze-dried dishes. I tried fishing, but it was really complicated for me
.

I film my adventures with a Gopro. This camera has the advantage of having such a wide angle of view that there is no need to “frame”. Sometimes I try to take a few photos but it's difficult for me because I can't see what my camera is capturing and often the subject is out of focus.

As for navigation, reading a map is no longer really possible. So I have an idea of ​​the direction I want to go and I ask passersby for directions. Since I'm camping with my dog ​​and don't have a specific route, it's quite easy.

In Italy , we met a true guardian angel near Venice. Erminia runs a dog shelter and makes dog accessories. She hosted us and even gave Macha a more suitable harness. In contrast, when I went to ask for hospitality at a monastery, they slammed the door in my face. What struck me most about this country was the petty crime. It's true that when people see me in the street, they don't really suspect my disability (or at least I don't think so). One evening, I was cornered in a narrow alley. Macha got me out of that predicament; thank goodness she was there.

Having arrived in Slovenia with my dog , I didn't know that wild camping was prohibited. As a result, after a few nights, Macah and I were stopped by the police. They confiscated my passport for six months. Just before my arrest, I met a retired German couple who took me under their wing and let me stay at their home. They accompanied us and showed us around the country.

Cosmos and Caro: “Having also camped in Slovenia, I can guarantee you that the authorities are serious about wild camping. The country is a giant nature reserve and values ​​its heritage. Cold fires are prohibited and recycling holds a large place in people's mentalities. For example, I saw a sign indicating a €500 fine for those who did not sort their waste. Besides, Slovenia is the land of bears. So personally, I don't really want to wake up face to face with one of them. And then I think of Cosmos too, and its security. “

So, with the arrival of summer and the hot weather, we decided to return to France to redo my identity documents and repair the trailer that was damaged during the trip. We will leave on September 4 both. We will take the train to the last Slovenian town we visited and we will continue the adventure in Croatia. There too wild camping is prohibited, but this time as I know before leaving, I will manage otherwise.

Cosmos and Caro: “In Croatia, it’s very easy to find a place to camp. In the countryside, many locals make their land available to travelers. For a few euros, you can spend the night legally and safely. Cosmos and I chose this option during our road trip in Croatia .”

Then we will go to Hungary, Slovakia and Poland and we will make a stop in Russia, in the birthplace of my late wife. From there, depending on the season and the weather, we will either cross Russia or continue our journey to India. In short, the adventure has only just begun for us!

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I thank Cosmos and Caro for this wonderful first interview. This article proves once again that traveling with your dog is absolutely fantastic and, above all, possible with a little preparation. It also demonstrates how sharing your daily life with a dog is a true joy and a great privilege for which we should be grateful. Provided you respect your dog and their needs, it's possible to create a genuine friendship with our furry friends. They know how to brighten our lives with their antics, their courage, their good humor, their clumsiness
 Musher allows me to move mountains day after day!

If you'd like to follow Macha and Marvin's journey , join their Facebook page! You'll discover their different stages, photos, videos, and their feelings. As Marvin told us, he's also set up an online fundraiser to finance his future restaurant. He details his entire project on his Facebook page as well.