When it comes to skiing, we don’t usually think of dogs being involved. But that didn’t stop one pooch from surprising everyone during the World Cup cross-country ski race in Quebec, Canada this past Sunday. The rogue pup got away from his likely mortified owner and ran onto the course to join several competitors for a brief moment of the race. The dog chose the right pack of skiers as they were the group in the lead and even made it to the front of the pack before he was distracted and ran off course.
Thankfully the adorable pooch didn’t effect any of the competitors in the race and no one, including the dog, was injured. He certainly brought a lot of entertainment to all involved, however! Canadian second-place winner, Alex Harvey, told Canadian Press, “It happens in cycling races, but I’ve never seen it in skiing […] It just makes the story even better because luckily no one crashed or got hurt.”
It certainly isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Just this past January a loose dog managed to finish 7th place in the Elkmont Half-Marathon in Alabama. As long as no one gets injured, it seems many of the competitors and spectators alike enjoy seeing the dogs having a good time. They’re just playful social butterflies that enjoy a good race just like our human athletes do!
