“WE THOUGHT WE’D LOST HIM — THEN THE WORLD SAW HIM BEFORE WE DID.” What was meant to be an ordinary Olympic afternoon for the Varesco family turned into a surreal wave of panic when, sitting aboard a train en route to watch biathlon at Milano Cortina 2026, they began receiving frantic messages about their wolfdog Nazgul racing across global broadcasts. The powerful Czechoslovakian Wolfdog had managed to push open a door at their home in Tesero, slipping out in search of his owners and unknowingly finding his way toward the cross-country skiing venue, where he burst onto the course just as athletes were charging toward the finish. For spectators inside the stadium it was a moment of disbelief; for the Varescos, watching their beloved pet sprint alongside world-class competitors on live television, it was sheer terror wrapped in helplessness. As clips of Nazgul’s dramatic dash spread worldwide, the family’s joy at seeing him alive collided with the fear of what could have happened in a high-speed Olympic setting. By the time he was safely recovered, relief washed over them, but so did the sobering realization of how quickly a single unlocked door had turned into an international spectacle — and a wake-up call they will never forget.