{"id":659,"date":"2026-02-22T03:58:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T03:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vibes15.com\/?p=659"},"modified":"2026-02-22T03:58:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T03:58:57","slug":"nazgul-the-wolfdogs-owner-shares-the-untold-story-of-his-winter-olympic-journey-in-italy-as-the-famous-pup-takes-over-newspapers-and-lord-of-the-rings-fan-pages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vibes15.com\/?p=659","title":{"rendered":"Nazgul the Wolfdog\u2019s Owner Shares the Untold Story of His Winter Olympic Journey in Italy as the Famous Pup Takes Over Newspapers and Lord of the Rings Fan Pages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before he became the most famous dog at the Olympics, Nazgul was not known as an escape artist.<\/p>\n

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Still, his owners, Enrico and Alice Varesco, were not taking chances when they left him alone at their apartment alongside the Olympic cross-country ski trails this week.<\/p>\n

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The Varescos were headed out to watch an Olympic biathlon race at another competition venue, a couple hours away over the mountains. Nazgul, a two-year-old, 65-pound Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, was secured inside his spacious kennel, inside the house \u2014 with an eight-foot-tall fence separating the Varescos\u2019 backyard from the trails where dozens of skiers would hurtle past later that day.<\/p>\n

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\"Nazgul,<\/p>\n

Then, the photos of a dog running amongst ski racers on the homestretch started landing on Alice\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe thought it was impossible,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are other wolfdogs in the valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

But then, a friend working at the competition office sent Alice what has now become an iconic image: the high-definition shot of a dog from the camera used to capture photo finishes. A family member dispatched to the Varescos\u2019 apartment reported back, said Alice: \u201cEverything open \u2014 and the dog is not there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behold the saga of Nazgul, named for the villainous characters from the Lord of the Rings trilogy \u2014 whose Olympic cameo began by alarming athletes and organizers but ended with social media and TV stardom.<\/p>\n

\"Nazgul<\/p>\n

Since ambling out on course amid the women\u2019s team sprint qualification round Wednesday, Nazgul has landed on the pages of newspapers around the world, on fan forums for Lord of the Rings and on a post by the 5-million-followers-strong \u201cWeRateDogs\u201d Instagram account. (The verdict: \u201c14\/10 someone get him a medal.\u201d)<\/p>\n

The Varescos spend a lot of time in the mountains of Northern Italy, and they said they originally thought the wildness of a wolfdog would be a good match for their lifestyle.<\/p>\n

They were warned that the breed could be difficult, but they found the right kennel, with dogs that are good \u201cfrom a character point of view,\u201d Alice said \u2014 and the couple thought they could manage the challenge.<\/p>\n

\"Meet<\/p>\n

The name was Enrico\u2019s idea; he wanted something \u201cpowerful and scary,\u201d according to Alice.<\/p>\n

Nazgul is \u201cnot dangerous,\u201d she added. But he\u2019s \u201cstill a wolfdog,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, he is quite stubborn, and he wants to win \u2014 but that\u2019s our goal, not to let him win,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cThis time, he won.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Meet<\/p>\n

\u2018Running like a fool\u2019<\/h3>\n

How did Nazgul do it?<\/p>\n

In retrospect, the lever holding his kennel shut may not have been completely latched, Alice, 34, said in an interview in her backyard Saturday, as Nazgul and Enrico \u2014 neither of whom are confident in English \u2014 played in the sun nearby.<\/p>\n

Then, presumably, the dog was able to open the front door by pushing the handle with a paw. As for the fence around the ski trails: Nazgul went \u201crunning like a fool\u201d through the open priority line of the spectators\u2019 entrance, too fast for volunteers to stop him, Alice said.<\/p>\n

\"Nazgul's<\/p>\n

The presence of the wolf-like dog on the race course initially alarmed some racers \u2014 one of whom said she thought she was hallucinating, and that her initial reaction cost her a few seconds.<\/p>\n

But Nazgul did not appear to affect the final outcome of the race, as he showed up after the top-ranked athletes had finished their preliminary round. The TV feed also showed him behaving indifferently, not aggressively, toward the athletes \u2014 though the race official who apprehended Nazgul, Michel Rainer, later described a \u201clittle bite\u201d from the \u201cnervous\u201d dog that left him with a small bandage.<\/p>\n