Adventurer Dean Nicholson, whose travels around the world with a rescue kitten made him famous, has revealed an abandoned puppy he saved will now be joining them.
Former rugby player Dean and tabby cat Nala were travelling through Serbia when they came across the dog and realised she was unable to move.
Dean, of Dunbar, East Lothian, carefully took the injured animal – who he named Yasuki – to a local vet and feared the worst when he was told there was only a slim chance she would walk again.
But, against the odds, Yasuki is recovering and will join him and Nala on their adventures around the world – if his travel pal agrees.
Dean, 35, said: “Since finding Yasuki, everyone keeps asking me, ‘Are you adopting her?’
“I would love to but it all depends on how Nala and Yasuki get on. I’ll always put Nala’s happiness before anything else.
“I’m not wanting to rush them into liking each other too quickly but, as we could be in Belgrade for the next couple of months helping Yasuki with physio, it gives us plenty of time.”
Dean’s vlogs on his travels with Nala have became a viral sensation with more than 130 million views and led to him appearing on TV shows and in newspapers across the world.
The former welder gave up his job to set off on his cycle travels in September 2018. Three months and nine countries later, he found Nala – who he named after the lioness in The Lion King – while cycling in Bosnia.
He said: “I was cycling up the hill listening to music and her meows were so loud I could hear them chasing me.
“I stopped and saw this tiny kitten alone on the rocks to the side of the road. She was super- friendly so I knew she hadn’t been born a stray and someone had dumped her.
“I decided to put her on the front of my bike and cycle to the nearest town to find a vet. As we were cycling, she jumped up onto my shoulder and got comfy. She loved riding up front with the air in her whiskers. I now see everything through her eyes and watch the joy she brings to people as we cycle through the streets.”
After a break in their travels because of Covid, the pair were enjoying being back on the road – now with a green campervan as well as a bike – when in early March Dean spotted Yasuki, who he suspects had been hit by a car.
Dean, who has travelled to 30 countries with Nala, said: “Stray dogs are everywhere over this part of the world but something just didn’t feel right when I drove past and saw this pup lying in the field.
"There was no movement of her back legs. I couldn’t leave her there. A follower from Serbia said she knew a vet that could help. The vet said there was only a 10 per cent chance she would walk again.”
Another specialist vet travelled to see Yasuki and carried out an operation. Four weeks on, she is undergoing rehab to build back the strength in her legs.
Dean set up a GoFundMe page to help towards the cost of Yasuki’s treatment. While he initially set a target of £5000, his followers have donated more than £90,000.
Dean, who has raised more than £275,000 to help charities across the world, said: “Yasuki is a fighter.”
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