My husband (Jens) and I have already walked two trails: the St. Francis Way from Florence via Assisi to Rome in July 2019 and the Moselle Camino from Koblenz/ Stolzenfels to Trier (St. Matthias Benedictine Abbey) in July 2022.
In April 2024 we went on another tour and our dog Tuco (11 months old) accompanied us. We thought long and hard about which way we should go. Which one is not too long for our dog and can be done in about 10 days. The route should lead through Germany, as we still have a young and inexperienced dog with us. It should be possible to end or interrupt the route at any time. We didn’t want to overburden Tuco with the route, because we wanted to enjoy the tour together and all feel comfortable. The Eifel Camino from Andernach/ Nameday to Trier (Benedictine Abbey of St. Matthias) seemed to us to be a good choice and after detailed research (on the Internet, travel guide “Outdoor” and the experiences of our last pilgrimage tour “Mosel Camino”) the decision was made: The Eifel Camino it should be!
I took the route and the individual stages from the “Outdoor” travel guide, as it fitted in perfectly with our ideas. We booked accommodation in advance, as it wasn’t easy to find any with dogs. Of course, the additional costs for the accommodation with the dog were higher, but that was okay and understandable for us. The planning for the additional equipment for the dog was clear and organized relatively quickly.
A collapsible dog bowl, all his dry food for the planned days, extra dog shoes/socks (to protect his paws in an emergency), a light dog bed, his favorite toy, a dog backpack for Tuco, etc. We had planned the rations of dry food sparingly between our hiking rucksacks (divided equally) and our own equipment. So the additional load (over the entire route) was no problem at all for us.
We slowly got Tuco used to carrying his red rucksack, but this was no problem for him from the start. The contents of his rucksack should also be limited to the foldable food bowl, his drool cloth and a few treats. Tuco is still growing and we wanted to avoid overloading him with additional rucksack weight on his back.
Beforehand, we went for several hikes with Tuco as training and did longer walks. It has to be said that Tuco really enjoys running, and he runs longer distances without any problems. He clearly enjoys being out and about. With several breaks and opportunities to relax, he is always enthusiastic and actively on the move. So we were able to start with peace of mind and begin our journey together!
The stages we walked:
- From Andernach to Nameday (there and back) 17.3 km
- Andernach to Kruft 18.1 km
- Kruft to Mayen (via the Marie Laach monastery and the road) 27.5 km
- Mayen to Kaisersesch 23.7 km
- Kaisersesch to Lützerath 21.6 km
- Lützerath to Wittlich 31.9 km
- Wittlich to Klüsserath 26.4 km
- Klüsserath to Schweich 16.1 km
- Schweich to Trier (Benedictine Abbey of St. Matthias) 21.2 km
The constantly changing April weather (rain, snow showers, sun, cold, heat, wind) accompanied us the whole way. We got lost several times, lost our way or covered extra distances to visit special sights or churches. Different landscapes and geographical conditions were not always easy for the three of us, but they made us stronger and inspired us. We ran a total of 203.8 km (in 9 stages).
We are super proud of our dog Tuco, who accompanied us with curiosity and great enthusiasm. Tuco ran great, actively kept up the distances (with several breaks and recovery phases, of course). He and we were able to gain so many new experiences and the 10 days of continuous togetherness not only shaped him (as a dog), but also us as humans.
Tuco was an eye-catcher on the road: the big black dog – with his own red rucksack! Many hikers, pilgrims, workers and residents have asked us about the great big dog that runs with us.
At first we were confused, nobody was interested in us humans as pilgrims. We were constantly getting questions such as: “Does the dog walk the whole route with us?”, “What does he carry in his rucksack?”, “How heavy is his rucksack?”, “Has the dog trained with the rucksack beforehand?”, “Does the dog sleep in the hotel with us?”, “How old is the dog or what breed?” etc.
Many acquaintances along the way just wanted to stroke or cuddle Tuco. They looked after us happily or called out words of praise to the dog. Tuco often received hugs, cuddles, lots of praise and encouragement from the people we met. Whether in the accommodation, restaurants or beer gardens – we were always given a very dog-friendly welcome and Tuco was number ONE.
We particularly noticed how comfortable and relaxed our dog was in the churches and monasteries (of course we only entered those buildings where dogs were allowed). Tuco behaved very quietly and in an exemplary manner in the various places of worship, observing and probably enjoying the peace and quiet. The benevolent looks from the churchgoers were both an encouragement and a confirmation for us.
Tuco was very interested in the many different animals that he constantly encountered along the way. Whether horses, cattle, cats, other dogs, goats, sheep, ducks, pigeons and other animals – Tuco was always curious and was able to gather many new experiences and impressions.
All in all, we can say that this journey was an enriching and great experience for all three of us. We had an intensive time together, which brought us even closer and strengthened our human-animal relationship even more. We were able to learn from each other, get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and our love for each other has grown deeper and even stronger.
Of course Tuco had his own pilgrim’s passport with him and he also received his own stamps from us at each stamping point. In Trier we gave him his own certificate, after all he had run the whole way.
We will be going on another pilgrimage together and are already planning the next route!
“Buen Camino!”
Best wishes from Anja, Jens and Tuco.
