Imagine taking a dream vacation, thousands of miles from home, only to encounter something so astonishing it feels plucked from a movie script. That’s exactly what happened to the McIntyre family during their Christmas vacation last year.
While hiking through the breathtaking Atlas Mountains in Morocco, over 5,000 miles away from their Idaho home, they did a double-take: a dog appeared on the trail, looking like the absolute spitting image of their beloved rescue, Bodhi!
“He is a mirror image of our dog, Bodhi, who we adopted as a rescue in Idaho in May 2024,” Aidan McIntyre told The Dodo. They instantly dubbed him “the Moroccan Bodhi.” Naturally, the family was utterly floored to find a dog so uncannily similar to theirs, so far from home.
They greeted this mysterious doppelganger, who they began calling Azul (the Berber word for “hello”), offering him water and kindness before continuing their trek.
They assumed Azul, who was limping, would eventually wander back to his pack. But to their complete surprise, he refused to leave their side. He just kept following, his gentle spirit clinging to their presence.
As the miles melted away, a fantastical idea began to take root. “The whole hike, my mom, Krista, and I jokingly daydreamed about bringing this dog back to our family home in Boise, Idaho, as the world’s greatest travel souvenir…” McIntyre shared.
They thought it was probably an impossible task, a fun vacation fantasy. Yet, with every loyal step Azul took, hobbling along with an injured paw, that impossible dream started to feel incredibly real.
“We felt chosen by him to be his people,” McIntyre recounted. The decision was made: if this little animal stuck with them for the entire 3.5-hour, 5-mile mountain hike, then they would move mountains to bring him home. And stick with them he did, following them all the way back to their hotel!
At the hotel, the McIntyres immediately began their mission. They asked the hotel manager, who often fed local strays, if she recognized Azul. Her answer was shocking: she’d never seen him before. That sealed it.
With the manager’s blessing, Azul spent his last night in Morocco in their hotel room while they scrambled to research reliable shelters that could care for him during the complex adoption process.
The next day, Azul was dropped off at Ranch Beldi Sterilisation, an incredible non-profit dedicated to caring for and rehoming stray dogs. For nearly six months, Azul received vaccinations, sterilization, food, and shelter, all while the McIntyres worked tirelessly with Airpets International to navigate the daunting paperwork required for importing an animal from a high-risk rabies country.
The journey to get Azul from Morocco to Idaho was nothing short of exhausting. But to the McIntyres, every single hurdle was worth it. When Azul’s initial flight fell through, Aidan McIntyre didn’t hesitate – she flew back to Morocco just to personally pick him up!
After a long flight from Casablanca to Washington, D.C., Azul and Aidan spent days navigating U.S. Customs and Border Protection and CDC screenings. Finally released, the duo embarked on an epic road trip from the East Coast all the way to Boise, Idaho.
Upon arriving home, Azul was ecstatic, curious, and brimming with puppy energy, a far cry from the tired, sad dog they first met on the trail. He met his doppelganger, Bodhi, and dog brother Renzo, with joyful sniffs and a wagging tail.
He’s now adjusting to house life with the help of Valor K9 Academy, thriving, healthier, and happier than ever. His arrival was “unreal” for the family, a testament to their patience and the incredible effort everyone poured into securing a safe, happy life for the dog who chose them on a mountain over half a year ago.
It’s a heartwarming reminder that sometimes, the greatest adventures lead us to the most unexpected, perfect additions to our family.
