A Portland man who took a one-way trip to adopt a dog on a kill list in Minnesota is embarking on a new journey Saturday: He will hike the Appalachian Trail with his pet in tow.

Advertisement 'Every life is worth saving': Maine man, rescue dog hiking Appalachian Trail Joel Carpenter starts 'Together We Walk' Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Portland man who took a one-way trip to adopt a dog from a kill shelter in Minnesota is embarking on a new journey Saturday: He will hike the Appalachian Trail with his pet in tow.Joel Carpenter, 24, and Sadie, 1, will begin their journey just south of Baxter State Park. Carpenter said he expects to arrive in Georgia next year.Carpenter adopted Sadie last year from a shelter in Minneapolis. She was due to be euthanized, but Carpenter flew out and saved her. He spent all his money for the flight, so he couch surfed back to Maine.Carpenter hopes to spread awareness about animal euthanization on his journey to Georgia. He and Sadie will visit shelters along the way."It's definitely hard to know that there are so many animals being euthanized and don't have homes," Carpenter said Friday. "It's hard to know that it's partially because of humanity."About 2.7 million animals are euthanized each year, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported. The same number of animals are adopted at shelters each year.The trip to get Sadie, who is a mix with some collie and husky traits, was worth it, Carpenter said."She's changed my life in a really positive way," he said. "I think animals can help people, and I think every life is worth saving."Carpenter hopes to film a documentary on the journey. He is calling it "Together We Walk.""Hopefully this documentary that we're making will raise awareness about the kill shelters in America," he said.Carpenter and Sadie have trained in the White Mountains for several months."We've been doing a lot of hiking," Carpenter said. "Sadie's ready. I'm getting there."Carpenter is raising money for the film project on a GoFundMe page.Get the WMTW App9234718