800 km in 31 days to leave something good behind

Iñigo Tina, a 33-year-old dog owner from Spain, once heard a sentence that stayed with him: “Your dog is going to see the world you show them.”

After a young Weimaraner, Bruma, came into his life, he never forgot it. A dog’s world can be small without us noticing: a few familiar streets, the same routine, the same places chosen more by habit than intention.

For Iñigo, it was about sharing as much of the world as he could with Bruma.

So last spring, he set out from Roncesvalles in Navarra, Spain, close to the Basque Country he calls home, to walk 800 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago, the historic pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, in 31 days. Bruma, now four years old, was never going to just be a companion on the journey. From the very beginning, she was at the heart of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Footsteps with a purpose

“Bruma helped me be a better person. So I wanted to help other animals help other people.”

Iñigo called the project HUELLAS, the Spanish word for “footsteps”. A long-term adventure project that documents his journeys on foot with Bruma while supporting meaningful causes.

The Camino de Santiago marked its first chapter. Those footsteps helped raise funds for Todos los Caballos del Mundo, "All the horses in the world" in Spanish, a sanctuary where rescued animals can later help people facing illness, loneliness, depression or difficult chapters in life. Driven by the idea of adventures with purpose, Iñigo saw it as a circle of help, one life giving something to another.

“Bruma helped me be a better person,” he says with emotion. “So I wanted to help other animals help other people.”

Iñigo and Bruma followed the Camino Francés west toward Santiago de Compostela, moving through a landscape where pilgrims rarely walk for distance alone. Many arrive carrying grief, hope, doubt, or the desire for change, hoping to discover a different version of themselves somewhere along the road.

The duo brought their own version of that search to the path. There was their goal to raise €6,000 for the sanctuary, the wish to make HUELLAS something others could join on the trail or online, and beneath it all, the quiet question of who they would become after this journey.

The language underfoot

“People say we are very similar”, says Iñigo when asked about Bruma’s personality.  Having raised her since she was a puppy, years of sharing everyday life have created a bond that's impossible to miss. “She follows me everywhere. We're inseparable.”

This bond turned out to be what set the pace of their everyday life on the trail. Iñigo knew that if Bruma was injured or too tired, that would be the end of the challenge. “I saw her eyes, and I knew if I had to stop or keep going,” he explains. Walking a minimum of 20km most days for 31 days, even with a well-prepared dog, requires close attention to health checks. “I know perfectly if my dog is okay, not okay, if she needs to rest, or to drink some water. I know her body, so I know if her armpits or paws are okay or not.”

However, even the partner he knew so well could still teach him more on the road. Iñigo had expected distance and warm weather; he had not expected the sharp stones that made Bruma change the way she moved. The shift was small, but clear enough for him to act. He put her Protector booties on and instantly noticed a change in her behavior. “She started running and wagging her tail immediately,” he says. For Iñigo, the relief was not only that the gear worked, but that he had understood her needs in time.

Despite the stress Iñigo felt while carrying the responsibility of the project, his ability to read all her little tells helped create a smoother experience and an even deeper understanding between them. One day, when suddenly caught in heavy rain, Bruma came close to him in the middle of the road and waited under the poncho he pulled over them both for 30 minutes. “I looked at her and it was like: we are together in this,” he says.

What Bruma made possible

Most dog owners have witnessed how dogs have the power to bring people together. They spark conversations, create smiles, and make strangers feel like friends.

Bruma had a way of drawing people in, and her backpack was often the conversation starter.

With her Trail quest dog backpack carrying her snacks and paw protection, Bruma was the one people noticed first. Pilgrims and journalists stopped to ask about her gear, what was she carrying, where had they come from, and what had brought them to the Camino? Each conversation became an opportunity to share the story of HUELLAS and the cause behind it.

“Maybe because I was with Bruma, many people opened their hearts,” Iñigo says.

Some conversations stayed focused on the project; others drifted into the personal reasons people had come to the Camino. Many pilgrims were walking through grief, searching for clarity, or embracing a fresh start. Those shared experiences created an immediate connection to HUELLAS and its purpose. Supporting the project became a way to be part of the journey. To thank everyone who donated, Iñigo promised to turn every euro raised into a push-up once he reached Santiago.

One movement becomes many

By the time Iñigo and Bruma reached Santiago de Compostela, HUELLAS had raised almost €5,000 out of the €6,000 goal for Todos los Caballos del Mundo.

Their final steps brought them to Praza do Obradoiro, the historic square in front of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, where countless pilgrimages come to an end. However, before the journey was truly over, Iñigo still had one promise to keep: one push-up for every euro donated. “The goal was not to do 5,000 push-ups by myself,” he says. “It was to inspire others to do something for charity.”

Iñigo invited the people gathered in the square and those who had followed him and Bruma online to move for the same cause. Some joined him there, while others sent videos from afar, adapting the challenge to whatever movement they could do.

In that moment, HUELLAS became exactly what Iñigo had hoped it would be. Bruma had helped Iñigo move forward. Together, they had walked to support rescue animals. Along the way, Bruma had brought people into the story. By the finish, those people had become part of it too.

The footsteps we leave behind

What kind of life can we give dogs who give so much to us?

“I want the best, most interesting, and most adventurous life in the world for her,” says Iñigo. His voice catches a little when he talks about who Bruma is to him and what he has seen her become. The pride isn’t just in the 800km they walked together, but in knowing that, years from now, he will be able to look back and say he gave her a life full of experiences.

That does not mean every dog needs to hike 800km in 31 days. It means that every dog has a world, and we decide how much of it to experience together.

For some, that might mean a new trail close to home. For others, a first night under the stars, a longer walk than usual, or simply making more time for shared moments in everyday life.

“In the end, the footsteps and pawprints we leave behind aren't about the distance we covered, but the experiences we shared together.”

Want to see where the journey takes Iñigo and Bruma next? Follow them on Instagram: @inigotina