Meet the World's Most Well-Traveled Dog

LONDON, Dec. 23, 2009 — -- George Clooney may have made human frequent-flyers a talking point, thanks to the corporate world satire, "Up in the Air," but he's got some serious canine competition.

Meet Oscar, a mutt with a mission. He has visited 29 countries this past year with his owner, Joanne Lefson, for company.

Lefson adopted Oscar from a shelter five years ago. After she brought him home, she was struck by people's surprise on hearing he was a shelter dog.

"People have this perception about shelter dogs -- that they are mangy, mean, difficult dogs," she told ABCNews.com. "I wanted to change that, and thought this trip would be a good way to raise awareness about shelter dogs."

With that in mind, Lefson sold her home and embarked on an epic journey, taking Oscar everywhere from the Pyramids to the Eiffel Tower to the Taj Mahal.

It was quite a voyage for an 8-year-old mutt. His favorite place, according to his owner, was Kenya, "where all the animals fascinated him. He loved going on safari, looking at all the wildlife, from the safety of a jeep!"

"The other experience he loved was taking a boat ride along the Amazon," she said.

Hiding Out

But it wasn't an entirely easy venture, Lefson confided. "In Egypt, not one hotel would accept Oscar. We had the same problem in Malaysia. Let's just say, there were a few places where I had to be very creative, hide him in a handbag and so on!"

Oscar also made 65 visits to dog shelters and animal charities around the world, including 20 organizations in the U.S. alone.

Oscar the Globe-Trotting Shelter Dog

"We wanted to bring media attention to these charities by visiting," Lefson said, "this was always intended to be the point of the trip, to create awareness about shelter dogs."

Now back in South Africa after months of travel, Lefson plans to finish a documentary about the trip (scheduled for release in summer 2010) and work on a children's book and a book for adults about Oscar's adventures.