4 Deserts/ Facebook
There is nothing quite like the bond between a man and his dog.
This amazing tale of friendship and loyalty began in China two months ago, in June.
Australian ultramarathon runner Dion Leonard, 41, was in the country to compete in the gruelling 250km Four Deserts race that would take him and his fellow 100 competitors through a rough and mountainous terrain to the finish line.
On day one of the race, a little brown terrier turned up and began to run alongside some American runners through the Gobi Desert. On Day two she found Dion and began to run with him.
The Aussie was amazed at her endurance and speed.
He nicknamed the adorable little dog Gobi, he says she acted like a puppy and he believed she was around 18-months-old.
Leonard told MailOnline Travel: ‘Gobi joined us from the start on the cooler side of Tian Shan range and ran with us as we went over to the Black Gobi Desert.’
For the next seven days the little stray dog stayed by Dion’s side, curling up with him in his tent at night.
When the terrain became too rough for her little legs, Dion carried Gobi in his arms as they ran together.
After seven days, Dion and Gobi finished the exhausting race and incredibly, they came in second place.
With their bond cemented, Dion vowed to find a way to bring his new best friend back with him to Edinburgh where he was living.
He left Gobi in good hands while he flew back home to begin fundraising for the huge amount of money he would need to get Gobi through quarantine and into the UK.
Then, disaster struck – Gobi disappeared. A heartbroken Dion took to social media and stated that Gobi was missing from Urumqi where she was being looked after.
Social media went wild as thousands of people joined the hunt online and hundreds more hit the streets of China, searching for the tiny pooch.
Dion flew back to the country to search himself, vowing to find his four legged friend.
Miraculously, it was announced today that Gobi was found and the pair have been reunited and, With a whopping nine thousand pounds raised towards relocating the dog, it seems like Dion and Gobi will never have to be apart again.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
