By Bettina Chang
An eight-year-old Cape Town native returned to South Africa after travelling to 30 countries on five continents where he promoted the adoption of shelter dogs and took part in some fun activities.
His name is Oscar, and he is part Alsatian, corgi and cocker spaniel.
Accompanied by his best friend and handler, Joanne Lefson, Oscar visited animal shelters around the world, going further in 222 days than many people will in a lifetime.
Oscar and Lefson went canoeing down the Amazon River, hang-gliding in Rio de Janeiro, rickshaw-riding in Malaysia and were even married by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas.
The globetrotting was undertaken to generate publicity for animal shelters and encourage people to adopt rather than buy pets.
Lefson adopted Oscar the day before he was scheduled to be euthanised at a shelter in Cape Town about six years ago.
"No dog should spend its life in a shelter," she said.
"There are loving, good-natured dogs sitting around in shelters waiting for a home."
About 75 percent of dogs in the world are strays, and the number keeps climbing, according to the World Society for the Protection of Animals.
Animal shelters in Joburg and Cape Town have seen a decrease in dog adoption in recent years.
Lefson said many would-be adopters choose to buy dogs because they prefer purebreds.
The World Woof Tour created much-needed publicity for underfunded shelters in countries like India and China, Lefson said.
Even in countries where shelters are very active and well supported, people "couldn't believe that dogs like Oscar could be in shelters... and now everyone wants an Oscar too".
The adventurous pup arrived at the Animal Anti-Cruelty League in Joburg with his friend in the sidecar of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Wednesday.
As Lefson showed video highlights from their journey, Oscar sat quietly under the projection screen and cleaned himself.
The star of the show declined to answer any questions, though he did stop to pose for pictures for photographers.