Let adventure racing team Peak Performance from Sweden be an example.
While taking part in the gruelling Adventure Racing World Championships through the Ecuadorian Amazon, the team came across a stray dog at one of their rest stops.
Without giving it a second thought, team member Mikael Lindnord shared one of his meatballs with the sad looking canine. Unsurprisingly it followed them when they got up to continue with the race, but unlike most other dogs who might give up and turn around when the going got tough, this stray kept going, following them right till the end.
Somewhere along the way they named him Arthur and as they Daily Mail reports he followed them up mountains, swam through rivers and pulled through knee-deep mud tracks.
Although they did try to shake him off at various points in time for the sake of his own safety, Arthur loyally followed along. By the time they finished the race six days later, the dog had taken a good deal of strain and the team decided to take him to a vet as soon as possible.
And best of all? He boarded their plane and is now happily taken care of by Lindord himself.
Check out these heartwarming pics from Peak Performance's Facebook page: