Nonilex

A local #dog made a bid for #Olympic glory Wednesday morning, breaking out of his doghouse & onto the homestretch of the #CrossCountrySki course in the middle of a race.

Two-year-old #Nazgul [love the Tolkien name] was quickly collared by race officials & returned unharmed to his home at a nearby B&B, but not before his genial presence lit up television sets & social media channels around the world—even if he perplexed some of the athletes who encountered him.

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/18/nx-s1-5718025/surprise-four-legged-olympic-competitor-wows-cross-country-fans

Feb 18 at 5:39pmWeb
Show threadNonilexFeb 18
…his owners are related to an event official, who connected them with NPR for a brief interview while they were driving to watch an #Olympic biathlon race at another venue.
"He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving—& I think he just wanted to follow us," said the owner, who was granted anonymity because of the intense media scrutiny of Nazgul's escape. "He always looks for people."
#Nazgul is a “stubborn, but very sweet”Czechoslovakian wolfdog, the owner said.
Show threadNonilexFeb 18

Footage from the broadcast showed the happy-looking pup running behind two skiers, with the crowd cheering as it crossed the finish line.

The #dog was then shown sniffing at the competition, with skiers looking somewhat confused by their new rival.

“He was super happy crossing the finish line. I was so focused on finishing the race (that) I didn’t look at the dog,” Argentinian skier Nahiara Díaz González said after the race.

#DogsOfMastodon #Olympics #Nazgul

Show thread𝐿𝒶𝓃𝒶 "not yet begun to fight"Feb 18
@Nonilex not to be dramatic but I love Nazgul and I would die for him
Show threadGeoWendFeb 18
@Nonilex welp, I am glad to see a name out of Tolkien NOT associated with billionaires projects...