Found, Gobi the £20k rescue dog that did a runner
RACING across China’s Gobi desert, ultra-runner Dion Leonard found himself being accompanied by a four-legged friend.
Touched by her loyalty, the athlete named the dog Gobi and decided to bring her home to Scotland.
But then disaster struck. After raising £5,000 through crowdfunding to bring Gobi to his home in Edinburgh, the little dog ran off as she awaited a medical check and clearance to leave China.
Now, after eight anxious days, Mr Leonard and Gobi have been reunited and he plans to bring her home once a 120-day quarantine period elapses.
A touching video captured the moment the pair saw each other.
Gobi had been lost in Urumqi, China, for more than a week after running off just before she was due to begin her journey to Scotland.
Mr Leonard, originally from Australia, formed an unlikely friendship with the stray during a gruelling 250km (155mile) Gobi desert ultra-marathon in June.
The £5,000 he needed to bring her to Scotland was raised in a crowdfunding campaign launched on July 27. This actually raked in £20,000, with the rest going to a dogs’ charity. When she went missing, a second appeal page was set up for cash to help find her. This got almost £10,000 in a week.
Mr Leonard and several volunteers flew to China last week to lead the hunt. Finally, on Wednesday night, the two were reunited.
It is understood that Gobi was found by a man walking his own dog in a local park. He was aware of the campaign and called her name.
Search volunteer Jennifer Jones-Lagua, said: ‘When Dion saw her, he didn’t speak but Gobi recognised him and went mad and ran circles around him. He knew then it was Gobi.’
Gobi, thought to be around 18 months old, joined Mr Leonard and his team and ran through four of the gruelling race’s six stages. In the clip, the dog can be seen squealing with delight and wildly wagging her tail. She then jumps in and out of his arms, clearly remembering their special friendship.
By last night, the video had been viewed 257,000 times.
A caption read: ‘Gobi has been found. She’s safe and well, a wee sore leg but overjoyed to see Dion as you will see in the video, sticks to him like glue. A massive thank you to all the support, especially the group of volunteers that have been working tirelessly to find her.’
A second image was later shared showing Mr Leonard taking Gobi going out for her first ever walk using a leash.
The image was captioned: ‘Loving my first walkies with Dad. First time on a leash too but he tells me he’s not taking any chances.’