Jonathan Warren, a 10-year-old Chihuahua mix, has been to over 25 countries with his owner, who has taken him on her adventures since she rescued him as a puppy
Meet Jonathan, a 10-year-old Chihuahua mix who is “more well-travelled than some humans” after visiting 25 countries with his devoted owner.
Amanda Klecker, 37, rescued Jonathan from a shelter in Connecticut when he was just a puppy and soon enough, the pair started embarking on bigger trips. After successfully flying with Jonathan to Los Angeles and Vancouver, Amanda decided he was ready for the next step. Now, Jonathan has visited over 25 countries, including Paris 10 times, and nearly all 50 US states.
The pooch has seen the Olympics in Paris, Lake Como in Italy, the Northern Lights in Finland, a boat tour in Amsterdam and the Parthenon in Athens amongst many other places. Aside from his desire to see the world, Jonathan is also a lover of designer goods – regularly visiting Milan, Paris and Monaco – and has a Goyard collar, as well as clothing from Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Prada and Gucci.
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Amanda, who works in marketing from New York City, said: “We’ve been to over 25 countries and most of the states in the US — he’s certainly more well-travelled than most Americans! Travelling is something that I’ve always enjoyed. I knew when I was adopting him that I needed a dog that was mobile.
“I didn’t necessarily know that I’d be going everywhere but I have family in other areas and I wanted a dog that I could reasonably take on the subway. It wasn’t until I needed to go Vancouver that I realised that the paperwork to get him over there really wasn’t so bad and I thought about where else I could take him.
“I would always take him with me to LA for work and it was working out really nicely. I thought if I could take him to LA, then I’d much rather be in Paris with him! But I really never thought when I got him that I’d be taking a dog to Paris 10 times!
Amanda rescued Jonathan from a kill shelter where he had been placed on a euthanasia list. She said: “He was at a kill shelter in Georgia before he was moved to the shelter in Connecticut. So I picked him up at that shelter in Connecticut and brought him back to New York 10 years ago.
“In April I took him on his 10th adopt-aversary trip. We spent some time in Paris and Croatia — I think Paris is Jonathan’s favourite place.
“I took him to get a little birthday present there — he got his first Goyard collar. He got sized up for it and he’s got some Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Prada and Gucci bits too. They look better on him than they do me! Despite the challenges that might come with travelling alongside pets, Amanda said Jonathan has.”
Despite the challenges that might come with travelling alongside pets, Amanda said Jonathan has “always” been used to it.
She explained: “Dogs know what you train them to do and not every dog is going to be excited about everything but for him, he’s always known our schedule. He comes out with me to work, to see friends, or regularly on the train. I plan my itinerary around making sure that if I’m going to bring him it’s enjoyable for both of us.
“We usually travel outside of the US once a quarter. Paris is so dog friendly and the flight coming in from New York is super reasonable.”
The challenge arose when visiting the UK, as she revealed: “It’s actually very difficult to take a dog into the UK — dogs are not allowed to fly in cabin at all to the UK unless they’re a service animal. We had to get all of this paperwork done in Paris and find an English-speaking vet in Paris to do all the paperwork.”
She gushed with a hint of pride: “He ended getting a French passport so Jonathan now is a dual citizen!” Then detailing their unconventional journey, she added: “Then we took a car through the Eurotunnel.”
Jonathan has trotted around various countries, including France, Scotland, England, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Greece, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, US, Monaco, and Ireland.
