'Diggedy/Cactus' is a dog who ended up joining the third stage of the gruelling Marathon des Sables race in the Sahara Desert. He joined after he tried to 'protect' the runners from an overhead helicopter which was filming them. Not only that but he came in 52nd – beating 750 other runners! His owner Karen Hadfield takes up the story.

Image: Diggedy/Cactus the dog running in the desert

Credit: Marathon des Sables