In the unlikeliest place in the middle of the Amazon, a stray dog proves to be man’s best friend indeed.
A Swedish team of extreme athletes, Team Peak Performance was in the midst of participating in a grueling race when they came across a stray dog trailing them through the rainforest at the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship in November.
As they opened their canned meat to refuel before a 20 mile long trek ahead, a tired Mikael Lindnord spotted a miserable stray dog staring at him with a forlorn look. Out of compassion, Mikael fed him and when the team continued on, so the did the dog, behind them.
The dog nicknamed ‘Arthur’ by the team of Lindnord and 3 others, began following them before the final stages of the challenge and kept up with them even as the going got tough.
A new definition of Tough Dog
Which each gruelling task ahead, Arthur brought a new definition of the phrase “Tough Dog”. Through muddy hills and treks, Arthur continued swimming alongside the team’s kayak while crossing a river, disregarding his own safety.
All for one and one for all, the saying goes. When Arthur got into knee-deep mud, they helped him out and stopped for a break when he was tired.
And then there was five.
Team Peak Performance started out with 4 members but finished with 5, with the addition of their new found four-legged friend, Arthur whom crossed the finish line alongside them.
After the race was over, the team decided to take Arthur to a vet in South America to evaluate his injuries. It was then Lindord decided that they could not leave Arthur behind after their bonding experience through the toughest conditions. He then applied to the Jordbruksverket (the Swedish Board of Agriculture) to take Arthur back with him to Sweden.
Team Peak Performance setup a Paypal account to gather funds to get care for Arthur whom had some old and new injuries. As tough as men appear to be on the exterior, Lindnord was touched when he received the approval from Jordbruksverket to take Arthur home with him.
Lindord ended by saying: ‘I came to Ecuador to win the World Championship. Instead, I got a new friend.’
Source: Daily Mail. Photos courtesy of Team Peak Performance.
