This book is first and foremost a love  story between me and my wonderful dog Mac. As you will learn when you  read our book, Mac came into my life when she was just about two years  old and she turned twelve in April, 2013 – so she and I have been  together for over ten years. 

Six  years ago, I bought a house in the south of France and Mac has been  traveling with me since then. We spend about half the year in France and  the other half of the year in the southern United States. 

I first  started thinking of doing a book about my travels with Mac over a year  ago. On occasion, during a trip here or there, I’d post a picture on  Facebook of Mac in some wonderful location and would be inundated with  comments back from friends saying that they wished they had the life  that Mac has had and that she was better traveled than most people. 

Late  last year, I began to plan my retirement and thought that as Mac is also  reaching her own “retirement” age, it would be nice to pay a tribute to  her for all she has done to make my life better. 

Because  we have been fortunate enough to visit so many wonderful places in  southern Europe, we also thought this book could serve as a travel guide  for those wishing to travel with or without their pets in southern  Europe. We have also tried to give useful information about pet travel. 

Finally,  we wanted to raise awareness (and money) for animal rescue – a cause we  are very committed to. Our story starts with me rescuing a dog – but by  the time you finish the book – you will learn that she really rescued  me.