Arthur Goes from the Jungle to the Couch

Personally, I have always found dogs to be a quiet animal, who is happiest sitting with it’s human and thinking of grand adventures, but some dogs need to have adventures for real.

    Dogs often take on the personality of their humans.  If you belong to a musician, you are likely to sit around and get high all day; if your parent is an accountant, you learn to lie under the computer table and are always uptight, and if your parent is an athlete, a sedentary lifestyle is only a dream.

    I don’t know if I could have put up with being the dog living with someone like Swedish athlete Mikael Lindford, who doesn’t do the things I like the most, like sleep, take leisurely meals, and enjoy his downtime.  He likes to climb, bike, trek, and compete.  Not the life for a Yorkie.  

    Mikael never showed any interest in having a pet.  Some humans are like that, and there is nothing wrong with it.  If they want to live a life without joy, then who am I to judge?  He met a woman named Helena and made her his wife, and they had a beautiful daughter.  It looked like he would be dogless his whole life.   

    Mikael, for some strange reason, enjoys endurance racing through exotic areas, like the Ecuadorian jungle, where one day he was passing by venomous creatures, through impenetrable trails, and over rocky ground, when he saw something that didn’t belong.

    It was a beautiful dog, mud crusted, thin, and weary.  Mikael was used to seeing wild dogs on his races.  They usually got in the way and begged for food.  But this dog just looked at Mikael lovingly, without raising even a bark.  Mikael went to the dog and shared a meatball with him.  

    Mikeal began to force his way through the mud, water, and thick forest. An exhausted Arthur never left Mikael’s side.  Arthur knew he had found his human.  They crossed the finish line together.  Mikael had never had a better partner.  He examined Arthur and found the dog had serious wounds and teeth damage.   He swore to take good care of his partner and bring him home.  Immediately he hit with two obstacles harder to navigate than the jungle.  Ecuadorian authorities did not want to let Arthur leave the country, and the Swedes did not want to let him in the country.  Mikael patiently dealt with the bureaucratic red tape from both countries and persuaded them to allow Arthur to go to Sweden.  For Arthur, the worst part of the entire endeavor was the scary plane ride.  

    Once they landed, Arthur met Mikael’s family, who instantly fell in love with him.  Arthur finally had his forever home, thousands of miles from his place of birth.   Mikael never knew how many angel dogs worked on bringing these unusual souls together and kept them that way.

    Arthur got life-saving surgery.  When he awoke and did not see Mikael, he began to howl, thinking he had lost the dad he had worked so hard to be with.  Then he saw Mikael, who began to pet him and speak softly.  A relieved Arthur settled down immediately.

    When he recovered, Arthur began to go on adventures with Mikael, always keeping him company, even on the toughest courses. The difference is that no matter where they run now, they are running home together.