The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Dog Names

Names that could have been inspired by Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy pop up frequently in popular culture, in books, on television, and in movies. There’s Mouse, for instance, the Tibetan temple dog in the Dresden File novels who is, like the mice in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, much more than he seems, and television gives us Eddie, the irrepressible Parsons Russell Terrier owned by Martin Crane in the long-running sitcom, Frasier, played by Moose for the first seven seasons of the show, then by Moose’s son, Enzo, for the remaining four years. In the movies, we see Marvin, a sad-eyed bulldog, in the film “Paterson” by Jim Jarmusch, and Arthur, a Parsons Russell Terrier adopted by his late owner’s son in the 2010 romantic comedy-drama “The Beginners.” Marvin was played by the talented canine actor, Nellie, who was posthumously awarded the 2016 Palm Dog award at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance, and Arthur was played by the rescued canine actor Cosmo, who also appeared in the movie “Hotel for Dogs” in 2009. Cosmo proved to be so charming that he inspired his co-star, Ewan McGregor, to adopt a new puppy of his own after filming was complete. 

In 2014, another canine Arthur was brought to the attention of the public, an ordinary dog who also decided to take an extraordinary journey. Arthur was a stray dog living in the jungles of Ecuador when a team of four extreme athletes from Sweden came to town to compete in the Adventure Racing World Championship, a competition that includes biking, hiking, and kayaking through the Amazon forest. Four days into the race, the captain of the team, Mikael Lindnord, shared some meatballs with the dirty and injured dog. It was enough. The dog, whom they eventually dubbed Arthur, decided he belonged with them. He followed them through the deep jungle, up steep trails, through collapsing mud holes, and across rivers, so impressing the team that they gave him another portion of their food when they all reached a stopping point. They decided to leave the dog behind on the last leg of the race, however, as it was deemed too dangerous to take a dog through the dark Mangrove swamps.  Arthur disagreed, and as soon as they pulled away from shore, the dog jumped into the swamp and started swimming alongside the kayak. The team crossed the finish line of the competition in 12^th place, but five members strong. They were eventually able to transport the dog from Ecuador to Sweden, where Arthur now lives with Mikael, Mikael’s wife Helena, and their young daughter Philippa.