Starved Dog Joins Adventure Racing Team And Completes The Vigorous Events

Mikael Lindnord is not your typical man. First off, his passion is adventure racing, the most dangerous sport in the world. It is like an Iron Man times a thousand, and each race comes with the added fear that racers could die as they kayak over rapids, swim for miles, bike for even more, and more. Lindnord and his three teammates have been together for more than twenty years. Adventure racing veterans, they thought they were prepared for everything. That is until Arthur walked into their life while on a race in Ecuador. 

Unlike in America, Ecuador treats dogs as animals that live and hunt in the streets. While they are fairly docile towards humans, Ecuador has a large "street dog" population that makes it hard for the country to have viable animal rights laws. One of the base camps for Lindnord's adventure race was just outside of a town in Ecuador. While the team was eating and resting, a dog wandered into the camp searching for food. Without thinking, Lindnord gave this dog a bite of his food. From then on, the dog stayed with the team. 

The team started to call this dog "Arthur." He was a large blonde mutt who was dirty and emaciated when they first met him. When it was time for the team to move on to their next event, Arthur, who had been resting next to the team, got up and joined them. They started to walk down their treacherous hiking path, and Arthur followed, keeping his distance as to not over stay his welcome. After a while, the team realized that Arthur was going to follow this team for the rest of the race. 

However, they did not know what to do when they reached the kayaking portion of the race. At first, they assumed that Arthur would return to the town where they found him. The team took off, leaving Arthur on shore. Then, Arthur jumped in after them and started swimming next to the team. Quickly, Lindnord picked Arthur up and put him in the kayak with him. It was clear to everyone that this dog was not going anywhere. 

Once the team finished the race, Arthur crossed the finish line with them, a real trooper. Lindnord called his wife and said that Arthur needed to come home with him, and his wife and children welcomed Arthur into their Swedish home with open arms. To Mikael, Arthur is more than just a dog. He is a resilient teammate who is always up for the challenge.