Mayor Paul Heroux fell in love with his dog Mura the first moment he met her in 2008. The puppy was eight weeks old, and as soon as Paul and the dog locked eyes, he knew she was the one for him.
“We looked at each other when she was in a crate. I was like, this is my little girl,” Heroux told ABC News.
Paul took Mura home with him to Attleboro, Massachusetts. When he decided to run for mayor a few years later, Mura stayed by his side as he collected signatures and campaigned.
Soon, Mura was just as well-known in the community as Paul. After Paul was elected, she began going with him to read to schoolchildren. She was also the star of a community parade!
In September 2018, Mura walked up to Paul in visible pain. Paul rushed her to the vet, where she had emergency surgery on her spleen. Then, he received tragic news: Mura had aggressive terminal blood cancer.
“It was heartbreaking. I picked her up and said, you’re going to die little girl and you don’t even know it,” Heroux said.
Paul didn’t know how much longer he had with his best friend, and he wanted to make her last months special. And so, he decided to take Mura on a road trip to visit her breeder in Vancouver.
Paul and Mura set off on their road trip in October 2018. They stopped often for photos and to visit national monuments and parks. Mura loved spending so much time with her dad!
Paul and Mura traveled through 20 states in total on their way up to Vancouver. Paul made sure to take photos of Mura next to every state sign.
When they got to Vancouver, Mura was so excited to see her first home. She also loved hanging out with the other dogs at her breeders’ house.
After spending a couple days in Vancouver, Paul and Mura headed back stateside. But their road trip wasn’t over yet. They still had plenty of beautiful sites to see, including the Grand Canyon.
Paul shared tons of photos of his trip on his Facebook page, and over time, those photos started to get more and more attention. Soon, hundreds of people were following Paul and Mura’s road trip. Paul was touched that so many people cared about him and his dog.
On November 9th, 2018, Paul and Mura arrived back home in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Paul wrote a message on Facebook thanking everyone for their support.
https://www.facebook.com/paulheroux.org/posts/2828992497111710
Paul loves Mura with all his heart, and he was able to give her a great life. Paul is so happy that he got to go on such an amazing journey with his best friend.
“It wasn’t goodbye,” Heroux said. “We went for a ride. A 8,500-mile ride.”
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