Orange Park woman plans cross country Trip for SAFE Animal Shelter
MIDDLEBURG – A coast-to-coast odyssey to benefit a local animal shelter beckons for an Orange Park couple and their adopted dog.
By bike and RV, respectively, Vicky Connell and her husband Jim …
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Orange Park woman plans cross country Trip for SAFE Animal Shelter
MIDDLEBURG – A coast-to-coast odyssey to benefit a local animal shelter beckons for an Orange Park couple and their adopted dog.
By bike and RV, respectively, Vicky Connell and her husband Jim Connell will travel from Florida to Washington and back again during the next few months. On the return leg, Vicky Connell will travel to Northeast Florida via bicycle.
They adopted a 4-year-old shepherd called Luna, which they nicknamed the “Lunatic,” from SAFE animal shelter a few years ago. Connell said the trip was something she wanted to do her whole life.
“I thought what better way to raise money than to dedicate the trip to them and use it to raise awareness of the great work they do,” she said.
The Connells will visit family in Washington, which is more than 4,000 miles away. During the bike ride on the way back, the pair will meet in the morning, pick a destination and head out in tandem on the RV and bike. She plans to take one day off a week and believes the trip will require three months on the road.
“We’re bringing our dog Luna because she’s part of the family,” Vicky Connell said. “It will be quite an adventure.”
SAFE Animal Shelter doesn’t euthanize animals, Connell said. She has a heart for stray animals and she said the shelter gives animals a second chance at life, at a home with a family.
Luna had a tough life before SAFE came into the picture. Vicky Connell said it took roughly a year for Luna to socialize and realize she had a home. Luna is at 100% now, and “loves everybody and everything,” Connell said.
“We love our dog Luna so much and we’re so grateful to the SAFE Animal Shelter for rescuing her. She was in a bad situation the first year of her life. She lived in a cage,” Connell said, “… We could tell we had such a sweet spirit.”
As for the trip, Connell called it a germ of an idea that blossomed.
“The thing with the people who do this is, you always start with your back tire in the ocean,” she said. “So, I will be in Ocean City State Park in Washington state, do the trip and we’ll end at the Jacksonville Beach Pier … then I’ll put my front tire in the Atlantic Ocean and that will complete the trip.”
The Connells’ trip documenting the journey can be followed on their YouTube channel, “Vicky, Jim and the Lunatic.” Those interested can donate at safeanimalshelter.com/donations/bike-tour.
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