An extreme marathon is to be reunited with a stray dog that befriended
him during a gruelling race in China, thanks to a crowdfunding appeal.
Dion Leonard was taking part in the 4 Desert Race when he met Gobi in
the Tian Shan mountain range.
The pair quickly became friends after Gobi matched Dion step for step
along the seven-day, 250-kilometre route.
However, he had to leave Gobi at the finishing line and hoped to bring
him home to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Mr Leonard launched a crowdfunding appeal
to raise the £5,000 needed to cover the medical and quarantine costs in
order to "bring Gobi home".
That target was smashed within 24 hours, with 272 backers raising more
than £8,600.
He said the pair had quickly formed a bond. "Basically on day two she
decided to run with me on one of the stages, which was around 25-30 kilometers over the Tian Shan mountain range.
"She'd actually been with us the day before running through one of the
largest sand dunes in China, so she was well-versed in running with all
the competitors there,
but on day two she decided to stick with me.
She would run ahead of me and wait for me 20 or 30 meters down the road
and then I'd have to catch up with her ... she's such a small dog but
had a massive heart.
"There were times during the race when, you know I'm there to race and
compete and I'm trying to do my best to win the race but we had to cross
some really large rivers where I would have to carry her over them.
"I didn't actually have the time to do it but I realized then that I had
to take her with me and the bond was made."
Mr Leonard said Gobi was still in the desert in China and was being
looked after by a friend. He said they were in the process of trying to organize for her to be taken to Beijing for medical tests and quarantine
procedures before she could be flown to the UK.
He said he was hopeful she would be in Scotland in time for Christmas.
"That would be amazing", he said. "That would be the best Christmas
present ever. I'm hopeful that will happen and I'm really thankful for
all the support funding-wise because that's certainly made things a lot
easier."
An extreme marathon is to be reunited with a stray dog that befriended
him during a gruelling race in China, thanks to a crowdfunding appeal.
Dion Leonard was taking part in the 4 Desert Race when he met Gobi in
the Tian Shan mountain range.
The pair quickly became friends after Gobi matched Dion step for step
along the seven-day, 250-kilometre route.
However, he had to leave Gobi at the finishing line and hoped to bring
him home to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Mr Leonard launched a crowdfunding appeal
to raise the £5,000 needed to cover the medical and quarantine costs in
order to "bring Gobi home".
That target was smashed within 24 hours, with 272 backers raising more
than £8,600.
He said the pair had quickly formed a bond. "Basically on day two she
decided to run with me on one of the stages, which was around 25-30 kilometers over the Tian Shan mountain range. 
"She'd actually been with us the day before running through one of the
largest sand dunes in China, so she was well-versed in running with all
the competitors there, but on day two she decided to stick with me.
She would run ahead of me and wait for me 20 or 30 meters down the road
and then I'd have to catch up with her ... she's such a small dog but
had a massive heart.
"There were times during the race when, you know I'm there to race and
compete and I'm trying to do my best to win the race but we had to cross
some really large rivers where I would have to carry her over them. 
"I didn't actually have the time to do it but I realized then that I had
to take her with me and the bond was made."
Mr Leonard said Gobi was still in the desert in China and was being
looked after by a friend. He said they were in the process of trying to organize for her to be taken to Beijing for medical tests and quarantine
procedures before she could be flown to the UK.
He said he was hopeful she would be in Scotland in time for Christmas.
"That would be amazing", he said. "That would be the best Christmas
present ever. I'm hopeful that will happen and I'm really thankful for
all the support funding-wise because that's certainly made things a lot
easier."
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