Help me get my boy Ajax to our new home in Montenegro

Hello,

This is my sweet dog Ajax. Briefly about him: he is a 5 year old Estrela Mountain Dog, slightly bigger than your average German Shepherd. Throughout our life together, he's always been there for me, and I can confidently say he has saved my life many times. He might be big, but he is the gentlest soul and at home will curl up in a little ball to take up as little space as he physically can:

Staying in Portugal (my home for 17 out of my 22 years) has become impossible. Rent has skyrocketed, and life in general has become way too expensive. I'm a writer, but after getting laid off back in March I've been freelancing with whatever clients I can find and this is barely enough to get by.

I am currently reconnecting with my dad who lives in Montenegro, after a life of seeing very little of him. I've visited him in his quiet little village on the Montenegrin coast, and honestly it's the peace and stability that me & Ajax need. There is so much nature to explore (we both love hiking!), friendly people and, well, the sea. As well as being close to my dad, I can actually afford life there. After a lifetime of trauma, I just know that having a little place of my own with my dog, close to family, is another step towards healing.

Whenever life has thrown awful things my way, Ajax has always looked at me with those golden beady eyes of his and told me, without words, that everything will be okay. And I know it will, as long as I've got him with me.

After much consideration and researching all (and I seriously mean all) ways that I can get him across from Portugal to Montenegro, I've come to the decision of using a pet transport company. It's a trusted van service that a friend of mine has used before for her dog.

They will bring him to Belgrade (Serbia), which is as close to Montenegro as they operate. I will meet him there, stay 1 night at my dad's friends' house, and get the train to Podgorica (Montenegro). There, my dad will meet me and we will rent a car to drive down to Đenovići – where he lives. This is the cheapest, quickest and safest route I've managed to settle on, but I need help to do it.

After having posted on a women-only Facebook group called 'gals who travel', I received the warmest response that had me bawling my eyes out with emotion. It was so heart warming – over a hundred people commented and sent me messages of support, advice and even offering to help. Setting up a GoFundMe wasn't something that I initially was open to doing, but sometimes we just have to accept help.

So thank you, everyone, for your kindness. From the bottom of my heart.

The kind words and gestures I have received in the past few days are helping me believe that everything will, in fact, be okay. Me and Ajax will be okay!

Breakdown of the amount I need for the move:

Total of 870€. I've rounded it up to 1000€ in case we might need additional funds for emergencies, or any extra costs that may incur throughout the trip.

Thank you.