We don’t always get to choose our pets. Sometimes they choose us.
That’s what Sweden’s Team Peak Performance discovered while competing in the Adventure Racing World Championship in Ecuador last month. The team was taking a break from the intense course, which includes kayaking, biking, and hiking 430 miles through the Amazon, when team captain Mikael Lindnord shared a meatball with a stray dog who approached.
The dog kept following them on their trek, despite efforts to wave him off. They called him Arthur, and he became an unofficial member of the team. According to KTLA, the team was advised not to let Arthur come along on the kayak portion of the race. As they set off without him, he jumped in the water and swam alongside the kayak.
In a post on their Facebook page, the team recounted having to help Arthur out of the mud a few times, but he remained loyal throughout the journey. The best news: Lindnord ended up adopting Arthur and bringing him back to Sweden. The team also set up the Arthur Foundation, in an effort to help other stray dogs like him.
Yes, it’s definitely dusty in here.
Update Dec. 1, 1:20pm ET: Looks like Arthur might have another name: Barbuncho. A Spanish news site, elcomercio.com, is reporting that the dog’s family has come forward to claim him.
H/T KTLA | Screengrab via TrendingVideos/YouTube