“I can’t believe this day.”
The amazing tale of Gobi, a little homeless dog who joined a Scottish runner on a 155-mile race through China and became his best friend, has taken a surprising new twist.
This time, he was the one who ran for her.
Dion Leonard, an extreme marathon runner, met Gobi last month during the 4 Deserts Gobi March 2016, a six-day race across Asia’s biggest desert. The stray dog, who lived near the start line, decided to join the race too, running with the other competitors for the first 22 miles.
The next day, Gobi was there again – this time choosing Leonard as her running buddy. He felt a deep connection with her as she accompanied him throughout the journey.
Amazingly, the little dog kept up with him, running with Leonard until the end of the tough race. He resolved to bring her along to his homeland in Scotland.
“Gobi chose me as her friend for life,” Leonard told The Dodo then.
It’s not easy or fast to move a dog from China to the U.K., so Leonard left Gobi with a reliable friend and went home to start the long process. But then the worst happened – last week, Leonard learned that Gobi had disappeared.
He searched the city where Gobi was last seen with flyers.
There are many homeless dogs in the area, so finding his beloved pup might have seemed impossible – but Leonard never lost hope.
Against all odds, his efforts worked.
On Wednesday, Gobi was found. A local saw the dog and recognized her from Leonard’s flyer. He called him and soon they were together again.
He said to the BBC that he felt the same love as before when she ran to greet him, circling his legs and jumping on him, as soon as he entered the door. “I have two goals for tonight: avoid crying and swearing, because I’m so happy. This is one of the best days ever for me.”
Leonard still needs more time to finish the arrangements to bring Gobi home with him to another country. But he assures that he won’t leave her behind this time, no matter how long it takes.