This Woman And Her German Shepherd Riding Around The World Together

Stone has been on a long motorbike trip through 90 nations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia for the last ten months. And if that weren't difficult enough, she is doing it while a German shepherd dog is being carried on the back of their bike.

So it's understandable why people often do second takes when they see content creator Jess Stone driving with her cherished dog Moxie. Stone claims that taking Moxie along with her has enhanced the significance of the journey.

"Every car that rides up beside us, they [the people inside] take out their phones, almost causing accidents because they're trying to get the shot," she tells CNN Travel. "It's hilarious."

Stone and Moxie, who weighs around 34 kilograms, have been on the road since last March, when they set off, along with Stone's husband Greg, who rides behind them.

Stone says, "I am always in the front, I want to go through the obstacles first."

Stone, a native of Canada, acknowledges that learning to ride a motorcycle over ten years ago in Liberia was far from an easy process.

"Having your partner teach you how to ride is not the best thing," she adds. "He wasn't very patient with me."

The pair, who have been married for eight years, embarked on an eight-month motorcycling adventure from North to South America once she finally felt comfortable riding a motorcycle. They relocated to Guatemala a few years after their return, where Moxie entered their lives. Stone and her husband were determined to take Moxie along, when Moxie was finally comfortable on a motorcycle.

They began work on the K9 Moto Cockpit right away, a motorbike dog carrier that they manufacture in Guatemala along with a variety of other outdoor dog accessories through their firm Ruffly.

"Everybody always asks how long it takes to teach your dog how to ride," says Stone. "Honestly, it took Moxie the weekend.

"It took me a lot longer to feel comfortable having that much weight on the back, because I'd never rode with a passenger."

Stone contacted the international nonprofit Girl Up, a girl-centered leadership development project, after deciding she was ready for yet another huge trip, this time with Moxie along for the journey. From there, the GoRUFFLY Around the World expedition was conceived.

"Obviously I wanted to travel the world," says Stone, who aims to raise $100,000 for Girl Up's global empowerment projects. "But I also wanted to show people that you can do it with a big dog."

This trip has become even more special for Stone because she was able to take Moxie along.

"It's like you get to experience the adventure twice," she explains. "You experience it for yourself. And then you experience it from her perspective, because she's right behind me.

"It makes me feel so happy that she's really experiencing everything. It's always new sights, sounds and smells that she's looking at and experiencing."

Taking a dog on the road has drawbacks. To allow Moxie to wander freely, they are primarily restricted to dog-friendly locations and rely on wild camping and occasionally Airbnbs while traveling.

Stone is currently planning for the next stage of the journey, which will involve boarding a ferry to Baja, Mexico, riding down to Guatemala, and then on to Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama.

They intend to take a plane from Panama to Colombia, where they will ride to Argentina's "tip," and then then fly over to South Africa.

Stone never gets tired of seeing the way others react to Moxie, joking that every gas station visit is like "a selfie palooza."

"People just get out of their cars," she adds. "And the first thing everyone says is, 'Oh my God, she's wearing goggles.'"
"It brings a smile to everyone's face. And that's what I love. She just makes everybody have a good day."