A Note from Rio
Before I was a Camino dog, I was abandoned. So these pages matter to me more than almost anything else in this whole adventure.
Every single one of the folks below spends their days doing what nobody else will: driving out to finca gates at midnight, bottle-feeding the ones who are too small to bark yet, and loving the ones who arrive too scared to look up. They give dogs like me a second chance at a life worth wagging a tail for. Some of my best friends — and one very good boy who's family now — came through their hands.
If you've got room in your heart (or your home, or just your wallet) for a dog who needs a Buen Camino of their own, start here. 🐾
— Rio
Contact Jennifer with book and site feedback, technical issues, book new language requests, or to say:
Buen Camino! ❤️🐾
© 2026 Jennifer Vandersmissen. All rights reserved. The True Adventures of Rio the Podenco© and Buen Camino, Rio© are property of Jennifer Vandersmissen.










