Dog - globetrotter!

The love for pets sometimes does not know boundaries, and one American woman even sold her house to take the dog to the trip around the world.

Just a day from being put down, dog Oscar was rescued from a South African kennel by Joanne Lefson, five years ago.

In May, the pair began a journey hoping to inspire millions to help save his fellow canines living as strays.

Dodging crocodile-infested rivers, walking – and even weeing – on the Great Wall of China and escaping Italian police, Oscar finally finished his tour last week in Rio de Janeiro.

The £250,000 six-month trip – which Ms Lefson funded by selling her home – took in more than 50 charity-run rescue centres. ‘If I hadn’t gone to the kennel that day, Oscar had one more day left and would have been put down,’ she said.

‘It broke my heart to think how many Oscars are still out there and don’t get that second chance.

‘I wanted to come up with a project that would use Oscar’s perfect package to show the entire world that great dogs are available at shelters all over the world.’

Taking in 29 countries across five continents, Oscar has seen everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Taj Mahal.

Ms Lefson, 38, said there were some hairy moments for her and Oscar on their travels. ‘The scariest five minutes was when Oscar went for a swim in the crocodile-infested Zambezi River in Zambia. It was a miracle he wasn’t swallowed,’ she added.

Oscar, who visited only countries that did not require pets to be quarantined, even found love. Zara, an older dog at a Bucharest shelter, is to fly to Cape Town to meet up with him soon.