Man, dog walking from Washington to Mexico to raise awareness for canine cancer

MALIBU, Calif. (KABC) -- With nothing more than a backpack and his dog Indiana by his side, Luke Robinson set out on an 1,800-mile journey. They're walking from northern Washington to the Mexico border - all to raise awareness for canine cancer.

Friday, they took a quick water break along Pacific Coast Highway, north of Malibu.

"Pretty treacherous at parts, we had a couple of tight spots, but we're just glad to have made it this far," Robinson said.

Robinson and Indiana have been walking since May 10 to raise awareness for canine cancer research. It's a campaign close to Robinson's heart. He's lost two dogs to different forms of cancer.

"They get brain cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, lymphoma, all the stuff that we get, they get as well," Robinson said.

Robinson and Indiana generally get lots of attention along the way, logging anywhere from 10 to 12 miles a day.

"I think the only thing that bothers him is the sun. We didn't have that in Central and Northern California, but now the further south that we're getting, the sun gets a little tiring as the day draws on," Robinson said.

Robinson founded the Puppy Up Foundation with hopes of finding common links between cancers that affect both humans and dogs - six million of which are diagnosed each year.

With about 200 miles to go until they reach their destination, Robinson and Indiana plan to reach San Ysidro by Dec. 14.

"Come out and walk with us for a mile, walk with us for a day, find out what we're all about," Robinson said.