A Lucky Anniversary And Other News
Lucky in a Tennessee meadow on our run across America, June 15, 2021.
Issue #22
October 25th marks the two-year anniversary of the publication of my book, Lucky: A True Story, based on my remarkable and incomparable canine soulmate, Lucky Caminho.
I’m blown away by the hundreds of positive, five-star reviews we continue to receive on Amazon and Goodreads, with people from all over the world calling it “heartwarming” and “a true love story.”
In celebration, and as a show of appreciation, the Kindle version of Lucky: A True Story will be available on Amazon for $1.99 beginning today for the next five days.
The bond between Lucky and me was profound. After he died on August 25, 2021, I knew I wanted to immortalize this special soul in some way. Telling his story — and ours — in a memoir was one such way. I also published an illustrated book, A Lucky Story, in order to share our adventures and the lessons I learned from Lucky with younger readers.
Another was to set up a nonprofit on the Caminho da Fé in Brazil, which is where I met him. I wanted to help other strays along the 600-plus-mile spiritual path that runs through the small villages of the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo.
Free-roaming or working dogs are frequently encountered by pilgrims, cyclists, and ultrarunners traveling through the trails and rural climbs in the Mantiqueira mountain range. Over the years, several dogs have followed me and my fellow runners across long stretches of the Brazil-135 ultra. I call them Tinker Bells because their energy and smiles never fail to lift our spirits during that grueling race. In return, we always give them food and water.
The night Lucky found me on a mountain outside of Borda da Mata in 2018.
But many of these dogs are in poor health, suffering from parasite-borne diseases that are common among strays. Lucky was so sickly and undernourished when I met him, the veterinarian in São Paulo wasn’t sure he’d survive the rabies shot he needed in order for me to bring him back to America. Luckily, he did. Ultimately, he died of lymphoma, which may have been the result of chronic immunosuppression caused by ticks.
I wanted to try to improve the conditions for as many dogs as possible along the Caminho — that would be Lucky’s legacy. So, together with my wife, Monica, I founded Friends of Lucky Caminho, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide care, facilitate adoption, and oversee the general well-being of these great street dogs.
Monica and I truly believe that free-roaming dogs are enlightened and highly intelligent creatures, having had to constantly fight for survival. Everyone who met Lucky agreed that his intelligence and wherewithal were unmatched. He was almost a different species than our three adopted mutts at home, able to outsmart everyone. Oh, and Lucky was a world-class moocher — he had perfected the art of raising his inner eyebrows to make his eyes look rounder and sadder, producing a face that never failed to extract mozzarella sticks and slices of salami from strangers. Lucky never forgot where he came from.
Friends of Lucky Caminho is committed to honoring the unconditional love, strength, and compassion that Lucky brought to our lives. To date, and through the leadership of Telma Salles Corulli, 439 animals have been helped, of which 78 have been adopted. We have 22 villages along the Caminho that work with us closely and 46 volunteers in the area who provide the care and coordination required.
We remain dedicated to our mission to make a difference in the lives of Brazil’s street dogs. To help it succeed, all proceeds from the sale of my books have gone to the organization.
Finally, I want to let you know that I’ll be taking a break from writing this weekly newsletter. I’m working on another book — details to follow shortly! — and I’m also busy preparing and training for my run across China early next year. So, while The First Step won’t land in your inbox every Thursday morning, I hope you’ll stay tuned for further updates on these two exciting projects.
Please stay in touch.
And hope to see you on the road or the trail!
Cheers,
David.
