For the past ten years, Andrew Muse has made the road his home and a converted van his bedroom; nevertheless, his nomadic way of life was in danger three years ago when an unexpected tragedy struck.
On October 26, 2015, while driving in the middle of the night with his golden retriever friend Booter, Andrew passed out behind the wheel of his van and slammed into an 18-wheeler.
Andrew, 30, miraculously avoided serious injury and was grateful to be alive, but when he learned that Booter had perished in the collision, he lost all hope.
That is, until one of the firefighters who responded to the incident called him and said he had a surprise for Andrew.
‘I felt life was over because I toiled for ten years to establish this life, and now it was all gone, the man remarked.
I made a friend with a firefighter named Paul at the accident site who revealed that he owned dogs and expressed his condolences for my loss.
A few weeks later, he got in touch with me to say that his family raises golden retrievers and that they would like to give me a puppy when I was ready.
“I was undoubtedly doubtful because nobody could ever replace or match the connection Booter and I shared, but my life was gradually starting to get better.
I played with the puppies for hours to decide which was the greatest fit.
Andrew quickly realized that he had made the right decision as Kicker started bouncing outside in the deep Utah snow.
Three years later, the two have traveled far and wide together, skiing, paragliding, kiteboarding, and kayaking from the Arizonian desert to the high slopes of Alaska.
Kicker, who Andrew described as the “most traveled dog in the world,” shared his enjoyment of the way of life.
“When he’s pursuing me through the mountains or playing in the water when I’m kiting, he’s at his happiest.”
