Paw-some! Heartwarming snaps show two rescue dogs enjoying trips to some of Europe’s most stunning landscapes
- The charming images show former Romanian street dogs Finn and Yuri on trips to spectacular landscapes
- They have been snapped by their owner, Anne Geier, who has been taking them on her travels for three years
- The Austrian photographer told MailOnline Travel: ‘When we are travelling, it is the best time for the dogs’
Absolutely paw-some!
That’s one way to describe these images of two rescue dogs enjoying trips to some of Europe’s most mesmerising landscapes.
The beautiful photos feature former Romanian street dogs Finn (the brown dog) and Yuri (the black and white dog) and were snapped by their Austrian owner, Anne Geier, in countries such as Italy, Norway and Switzerland.
Anne, a full-time photographer, has been taking her pets on trips across Europe for the past three years and they are often joined by her boyfriend, Robert. In 2019, they bought a Volkswagen T4 campervan, which they use for travelling, and although Anne admits that it can sometimes be hard living out of a van – she says her dogs love it.
The snapper, who is from the small Austrian village of Tauplitz, tells MailOnline Travel: ‘I started taking photos of Yuri and Finn during our travels to create loving memories for us, to show people around the world a piece of their beautiful souls combined with breathtaking landscapes and to show how special and unique rescue dogs are.
‘When we are travelling, it is the best time for the dogs. They get 24 hours of quality time with their owners and it’s everything they need to be happy. You can see and feel how much they enjoy travelling.’ Scroll down to see some of the most amazing shots from their epic trips…
Just paw-fect: Rescue dog Finn admires the magical 262ft (80m) high Fontanone di Goriuda waterfall in the Val Raccolana valley in the Julian Alps in north-west Italy, close to the border with Slovenia. His owner, photographer Anne Geier, says the picture ‘looks a bit like a painting as it’s such a fairytale landscape’
Anne says her dogs loved visiting the Italian Dolomites, pictured, as it is home to ‘thousands of marmots’. She explains: ‘They are little hunters and they prefer places with many wild animals, where they can search their traces.’ Pictured is Yuri looking out to the rugged peaks of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo mountains. The highest peak here stands at 9,839ft (2,999m)
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This mesmerising image shows Yuri staring out from the Grimsel Pass in Switzerland, which crosses the Bernese Alps at a potentially dizzying elevation of 7,100ft (2,164m). Anne says that lurking in the background are the Brunberg and Sidelhorn mountains
Here Finn is investigating the rocky perimeter of the Barglistuber, a 144ft (44m) high waterfall in the Glarus region of eastern Switzerland. Anne said: ‘When we are travelling, it is the best time of the year for the dogs. They get 24 hours of quality time with their owners’
Another enchanting shot of Finn next to the Barglistuber waterfall. According to My Switzerland, it has been described as ‘one of Switzerland’s most beautiful waterfalls’
Finn perches on a rock and sits for the camera on a visit to the Dachstein mountains in Styria, southeast Austria. Anne says that in the distance you can see the Gosau Glacier on the Dachstein Massif
An other-worldly shot of Anne and her pets sitting on a paragliders’ launchpad above a sea of clouds with the Ausseer Zinken – a 6,082ft (1,854m) mountain on the Dachstein plateau – in Austria ahead of them
A playful Yuri on a jetty on the mesmerising Lake Fuschl, which is in the popular Salzkammergut holiday region of the Austrian state of Salzburg. Anne says: ‘Travelling with dogs is quite easy. You just have to take care of what the entry requirements for dogs are for each country’
This epic view shows Yuri on the protected island of Runde off the coast of Norway – best known as a haven for birds. Anne says she is keen to take the dogs to Norway again but to go further north to the spectacular Lofoten Islands
An ethereal image of Finn in woods close to the town of Bad Goisern – a popular holiday destination in central Austria. Anne says her biggest dream would be to take her dogs on a trip to Iceland post-lockdown. But, unfortunately, due to strict entry requirements and quarantine rules for dogs, she does not believe it will be possible
This heartwarming snap shows Finn relaxing on a boat on Austria’s Lake Hallstatt. The mayor of the village on its shore that shares the name last year had to beg tourists to stay away after rumours emerged it was the inspiration for the fairytale city of Arendelle in Disney’s Frozen movies. It became mobbed by 10,000 visitors a day, some of whom let themselves into homes to use the bathrooms
Finn explores an ice cave in the Rhone Glacier in the southern part of the Swiss Alps. The 328ft (100m) long tunnel is recut in the glacier each year and ‘glows in magically fine shades of blue’, according to My Switzerland
Anne shot this spectacular image of Yuri ‘dancing’ at the Nufenen Pass in the Swiss Alps. The pass sits at 8,129ft (2,478m) and is one of the highest mountain roads in Switzerland. Lonely Planet describes it as ‘probably the most remote gateway into Switzerland’s Italian canton [Ticino]’
This stunning shot shows Finn looking towards the Bondhusbreen glacier in Folgefonna National Park in Norway. Anne says that the dogs much prefer to visit countries in northern Europe as they ‘aren’t really too happy when in hot temperatures’
Anne and her dogs travel around in her Volkswagen T4 campervan, which she bought in 2019. She says: ‘We are totally free and flexible and not bound on any accommodation. The dogs love the van. It’s like a home for them.’ Pictured is Finn on the edge of Gosau Lake, a small mountain lake in the Gosau Valley of Austria
Finn perches on a rocky outcrop in Gosau Lake in Austria after being carried there by Anne’s boyfriend, Robert. She jokes: ‘Even though the water was not that deep – my dogs don’t like to walk through water’
This jaw-dropping scene shows Yuri and the view from Eidfjord – ‘one of the most beautifully sited towns in this part of Norway, dwarfed by sheer mountains and cascading waterfalls’, according to Lonely Planet. Anne stresses that in pictures where her dogs look close to the edge of precarious drops, they are always wearing a leash
As well as returning to Norway, Anne is eager to take her dogs to Scotland and some of the Baltic countries once it’s safe to do so. Pictured is Finn in Norway at Hardangervidda National Park, which at 1,321 square miles (3,422 square kilometres) is the largest national park in the country
Pictured left is a spectacular shot of Finn next to the stunning Johannes Waterfall in Obertauern, Salzburg. On the right is Yuri in an eerie image taken on a hazy day in woods near the village of Strobl in Salzburg
Anne admits that living out of a camper van when travelling can be tough. She explains: ‘It’s a very simple way of life and you have to just bring the important things. Of course, sometimes it’s also quite hard to have no shower for days or to sleep in a cold car.’ Pictured is Finn surveying the scene from a tent in Austria’s Obertraun – a village close to Hallstatt
This striking image, featuring Finn, was taken at Lago di Braies – a beautiful mountain lake in the Italian Dolomites that usually attracts 600,000 tourists each year
A mesmerising shot of Seiser Alm, the largest high-altitude Alpine meadow in Europe, and the jagged peaks of the Italian Dolomites beyond. And, of course, Finn and Yuri!
Finn exploring the woods near Irdning, a village in the Austrian state of Styria. Owner Anne has worked as a full-time dog photographer for three years
- To see more of Anne’s images visit her Facebook and Instagram pages.
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