Swedish group were taking part in the Adventure Racing World Championship through the Amazon


This is the moment an explorer who adopted a stray dog that befriended him during a race through the Ecuadorian jungle introduced his young daughter to the loyal animal who has captured the imagination of the world.

Mikael Lindnor was leading his four-strong team of long-distance trekkers through the final two stages of the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship when they noticed a tired-looking hound skulking around them.

Feeling sorry for the mournful stray, Mikael gave him a meatball in an act of kindness that would create an unbreakable bond between the two for the rest of the gruelling race.

From that moment on, the dog refused to leave Mikael's side, swimming alongside the team while they kayaked down rivers, dragging himself up hills and pulling through knee-deep mud.

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Hey there: Ecuadorian stray dog Arthur is seen with Mikael Lindnord and his daughter Philippa on arrival at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm

Mikael Lindnord's wife Helena pats Arthur, whose incredible journey has seen him conquer an endurance challenge and switch continents

'She was just saying “doggy, doggy, doggy” and seemed very interested,' Mikael said. 'I think she was a bit afraid to pat him, but that will work out nicely when he comes to our house. He is a sweet dog'

The fifth member: Team Peak Performance walk with stray dog Arthur during a stage of the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship. He followed the group of four during the grueling race

Adorable: Soon the family will be reunited when Arthur's lengthy period of quarantine is finally over

Mikael said: 'We have kept those wounds a little bit secret so nothing would jeopardise his chances of coming home with me. But after his visit to the vet in Quito, everything went really well. The vet gave him medicine and sewed all the wounds together'

They were so impressed with his loyalty and stamina that they named him Arthur and made him an honorary member of their Peak Performance Adventure Racing team. By the end, Mikael and Arthur were best of friends and Mikael decided to adopt the dog and take him home.

When they finally completed the race after six days trekking through the jungle together, Mikael and his team decided to take Arthur to a vet while still in South America to have him checked out.

During that time Mikael thought to himself that after their experience, they could not leave Arthur, so he decided to adopt him and take him back to Sweden. He applied to the Jordbruksverket (the Swedish Board of Agriculture) and was made to wait to see if his application was successful.

After a tense few days, the team arrived at the airport with Arthur and boarded the plane with him back home.

However, because of the lengthy quarantine rules in Europe, Arthur must now wait in an animal isolation centre while vets ensure he is carrying no diseases.

Not only will Arthur have plenty of outdoor space in which to gambol, but he will also have access to a dog dentist, Mikael said. He added that his young daughter Philippa can't wait to welcome him to his new home.

'She was just saying “doggy, doggy, doggy” and seemed very interested,' Mikael added. 'I think she was a bit afraid to pat him, but that will work out nicely when he comes to our house. He is a sweet dog.'

Mikael today told how he had no idea quite how sick Arthur was when they first met.

All terrains: Despite numerous attempts by the team to get rid of the dog, primarily for his own safety, he refused to go. It meant when he got stuck in the knee-deep mud they helped get him out and when he was exhausted, they stopped to take a break

Best of friends: Mikael Lindnord first noticed the scruffy dog when he was sitting down to eat canned meatballs. He fed Arthur one thinking nothing on it, but ended up creating a bond with the dog

'He was in really bad shape when we took him in,' he told MailOnline. 'He had big and quite deep bleeding wounds on his back with parasites crawling around inside of them. The vet told me that Arthur probably had sustained those wounds around three to six months ago and has been carrying them ever since.

'We have kept those wounds a little bit secret so nothing would jeopardise his chances of coming home with me. But after his visit to the vet in Quito, everything went really well. The vet gave him medicine and sewed all the wounds together, so he was up and running in no time.'

'It makes me very sad of course (to have had to say goodbye to Arthur at the airport),' Mikael went on. 'But we knew that these were the conditions when we decided to bring him here. Jordbruksverket were very clear about the rules and I knew that was not something I could circumvent.'

Asked how Arthur will handle the colder climes of Sweden, Mikael said: 'There is snow on the mountain tops of Ecuador, so I think he is quite used to that sort of weather. But he will live inside our house when he gets out of the quarantine. He will have a warm and cozy environment at home.'

Adventure Racing is a form of extreme sport that combines continuous hiking, trekking, mountain biking and kayaking over a successive number of days.

The world championships held in Ecuador covered three diverse geographical regions - the Andes, the Pacific and the Amazon rainforest.

Mikael told Swedish news site Aftonbladet: 'I had just opened a food pack when I saw a scruffy miserable dog in the corner of my eye.

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Determined: Before one of the segments of the race - a 36 mile kayak around the coast - organizers warned the team that taking Arthur along posed a risk to his and their safety. But Arthur swam alongside the boat and ended up being pulled in by Mikael

Grueling: The race takes teams of four around ten days, and involves continuous hiking, trekking, mountain biking and kayaking

Resting: When the team slept Arthur would also curl up and take a nap alongside them

'I thought he was hungry and gave him a meatball. Then I thought no more of it.

He added: 'At one stage we had to take a break and the dog was totally wrecked. We opened two cans of food and let him eat, because he could find no food at all in the jungle.'

Before one of the segments of the race - a 36 mile kayak around the coast - organizers warned the team that taking Arthur along posed a risk to his and their safety.

They tried to set off without him, but as they left he jumped into the water beside them and started desperately paddling. Mikael, heartbroken by the site of Arthur struggling in the water, picked him up, put him in the kayak and let him stay for the rest of the journey.

The gesture prompted a standing ovation and cheers from spectators watching from the banks.

The ordeal to get him back to Sweden was documented on the team's Facebook page. In one post Mikael wrote: 'I almost cried in front of the computer, when receiving the decision from Jordbruksverket (Board of Agriculture) in Sweden!'

'The team is overwhelmed and happy knowing that Jordbruksverket has approved Mikaels application to bring Arthur to Sweden. A big important piece in the work to get Arhur on the plane, is done. So far so good. But, There are [sic] still one paper to go. The team are now working hard for the very last piece in this puzzel [sic].'

Mikael ended by saying: 'I came to Ecuador to win the World Championship. Instead, I got a new friend.'

Star power: Arthur and Mikael Lindnord's story has captured the imagination of the global media

Support: At one point the dog was not able to find any food in the jungle, so the team stopped and gave him some of their canned food

Challenge: As the team neared the finished the tasks began to take their toll on Arthur and he ended up with some injuries

Health checks: When the team finished the race, they took Arthur to Ecuador to see a vet in order to prepare him for the trip back to Sweden

Donations: Team Peak Performance set up a PayPal account while they were still in South America to garner funds for Arthur's care

Spotlight: Team member Staffan Bjorklund takes Arthur for a walk outside the clinic. Their story had already grabbed the attention of the media

Clinic staff carry the hardy animal. Hopefully he will soon be able to join his new master in Sweden

Greeting: Arthur offers out his paw to one of the vets as the team wait in the clinic for him to be checked over

Aftermath: After the procedures were complete he was forced to wear a cone on his head. It was then that Mikael decided to adopt him and take him back to his family in Sweden

Emotional: When Mikael received news that the Board of Agriculture had approved his request for Arthur to be brought back to Sweden, he said he cried while looking at the computer

Happy: Despite his injuries and the toll the final two stages of the race had taken on him, Arthur began to look healthy as he prepared to fly to Sweden and settle into his new home

Attention: The team let passengers stroke Arthur as he wondered around the airport terminal before their flight back to Sweden

Pose: Members of the team stand alongside with flight attendants and a pilot as they prepare to take Arthur home to his new family

Mikael said: 'There is snow on the mountain tops of Ecuador, so I think he is quite used to that sort of weather. But he will live inside our house when he gets out of the quarantine. He will have a warm and cozy environment at home'