Mike Mitchell found the dog, Chance, on his 60th birthday. The Alaska local purchased Chance from a Craiglist ad. Chance is an adorable Shih Tzu with brown fur. Since then, the two have had a strong bond.
This bond they have and love for walking has been described as a “miraculous connection.” For eight years, Chance and Mitchell have walked a total of 24,901 miles. Long enough to complete a lap around Earth.
“I love to walk and Chance loves to walk… So we walk together. We just walk every single day.” Mitchell keeps track of their steps with his Apple Watch, and they average 3,000 miles a year.
They go out to do walks in the morning. The pair make friends with people as they journey out on their walks. After the morning walks, they take a rest or nap and prepare for another walk.
Mitchell has credited Chance with saving his life. The dog owner was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Consequently; he was out of shape and overweight. Mitchell took another chance at life, so he named the dog “Chance.”
Mitchell told KTUU that physicians and veterinarians encouraged him and Chance to continue these walks despite hitting such a big milestone. Both of them are more than happy to oblige.
As Mitchell has said, “When you get to the top of a mountain, you have two ways to go, either to go to the valley or head for the next mountaintop. And I think this view of the next mountain top looks good.”
