The Stray Dog That Inspired a Hollywood Movie: The True Story of Arthur: A Friendship Without Borders

“It's the opposite, he adopted me,” Mikael Lindord told the foreign press in 2014. The Swedish athlete had traveled with his team to Ecuador to participate in the global extreme sports competition. Huairasinshi ARWC; However, in the forest, he will find a loyal four-legged friend.

The story of Lindord and the stray dog ​​Arthur is now showing in cinemas. His adventures in the South American jungle inspired the new film Arthur: Friendship without limits (Arthur, King) Starring and producing Mark Wahlberg.

the actor Hackers He learned the emotional tale from an ESPN documentary. He didn't know adventure racing existed, but he found this chance bond between Lindord and the injured dog he rescued very inspiring. “This man, who is willing to do anything to become a world champion, I sacrificed everything to do this generous act to save Arthur “I made it a special story,” Wahlberg explained in an interview with UNILAD.

Another producer of the film is Tucker Tully, who has a special connection to the topic because he and his wife have rescued more than 50 endangered animals. “It is impossible for anyone to watch this story without crying.He confirmed.

The event that changed Mikael's life occurred ten years ago in Ecuador (in the film the location was changed to… dominican republic). His life was entirely dedicated to adventure racing, a sports discipline that combines many challenging activities, from trekking and cycling to canoeing and climbing, among others. The goal is to reach the finish line at the end of the 700 km route; However, each team can take shortcuts or prepare their own strategy to cut down time.

Lindord and his team Maximum Performance They were among the best in the business. They have competed in over 40 countries and racing in the Ecuadorian jungle was the perfect opportunity to finally win the world title. But on the fourth day of competing across the rugged terrain, Mikael noticed a dog in the transition area where they were preparing to resume their journey.

According to the four athletes, the dog was in very bad condition, thin and injured. Lindord was kind and shared some of the rationed food he had with him. As they moved forward, the group realized that the animal was following them. “He was with us even during the hardest part of the race,” he recalls. Karen Lundgren In an ESPN report.

Mikael named him Arthur, in honor of King Arthur, for his design. Hence, the dog became famous on digital platforms due to the photos shared from the race.

The final stage of the competition included a long period of 14 hours of navigation Kayaking and the authorities ordered not to board the dog because it is dangerous. Although they were about to comply, Arthur moved everyone when he jumped into the water to insist on staying with the team.

“I thought we couldn't leave him, so I picked him up and put him in the kayak. 'Okay, we'll do it together,'” the athlete recalls in the short documentary. At that point, Peak Performance was the favorite for a place on the championship podium. But the rescue It meant sacrificing this victory. Arthur and his new friends crossed the finish line on the sixth day of competition in twelfth place, but everyone felt satisfied that they had saved the dog.

Just as Arthur didn't leave them in the forest, Mikael chose to stay next to his four-legged friend. Once the race was over, Arthur's adoption story continued at a bureaucratic level until the dog could be evaluated by veterinarians in Sweden.

A fundraising campaign was organized and special permission was obtained for the mascot to enter the European country. The dog underwent a 120-day quarantine, dental surgery and another surgical procedure. Afterwards, Arthur came to rest at Lindord's house.

There was a brief conflict in the story. In late November 2014, an Ecuadorian man told a local newspaper that Arthur was his and was actually called Barbuncho, and he was seeking compensation for him. Other people in the area told Mikael that the dog had a family and lived in a tropical area. However, the athlete responded that there were signs of abandonment and accused them of complicity in animal abuse despite providing no concrete evidence of this.

In 2016, the athlete narrated everything he experienced in a non-fiction book entitled Arthur: The dog who crossed the forest to find a home.

The dog lived with his new family for six years; However, in 2020, a mixed breed dog became ill. After the medical examination, this was found There was a malignant tumor in his spine.

“Everything happened so fast,” Mikael wrote on social media when he announced his pet’s death in December of that year. “One day, we were lying together in the vet’s office, and he gave me one last kiss and died.”

The film, which was released in Argentina, Mexico and Peru, is a tribute to his brave companion. But also, the former athlete hopes it will stimulate awareness about pet adoption.

“It is a love letter to Arthur“But it's not just him,” he told USA TODAY. There are many Arthurs in the world. I hope it opens people's minds. That stray dog ​​you see could become the best friend of your life. So give it a chance.”

Lindord also added on his Instagram account that he considers it a great honor to play Wahlberg in a fictionalized version. “Some of the scenes were so powerful and so close to real life that I felt like I was living those moments with the dog,” he wrote.

the film Arthur: Friendship without limits The show runs for 107 minutes and features performances by Simu Liu, Juliette Rylance, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Ali Suleiman. It is available in theaters from April 4.