Dogs Are A Man’s Best Friend
We’ve all heard some truly incredible stories about a dog’s unconditional love and loyalty for his master. For instance, there’s Hachiko, the dog who stayed by his owner’s grave till his dying day. Then there’s a story of a dog who ran away from his home to stay by its master’s side for nine years. Another dog saved a French pet-owner from committing suicide. Then there’s Bobbie the ‘Wonder dog’ who crossed over 4000 km to return to his family home. And we all know about the rescue missions in the Alpine regions led by St. Bernards and Mastiffs. Throughout history, human beings have found faithful friends in those little furry creatures who can be your perfect playmate or even the best night guard.
But this story is a bit different. This story is about a homeless dog who goes out of the way, joins a race and finds her perfect human companion.
Meet Gobi And Her Pet Human
For extreme marathon runner Dion Leonard it was just another race day in the 4 Deserts Gobi March 2016, a 6-day foot racing event held this summer, competing against 101 other human participants. He was thus pleasantly surprised when he spotted the stray dog, enthusiastically sprinting with all the other runners. Although he’d seen the puppy in the runner’s camp, he had no idea that she was actually interested in the marathon race.
The Marathon Race
On the second day, Leonard found his racing partner lined up beside him. As he tells The Dodo “I thought to myself this little dog isn’t going to last very long at my side as we raced off, but she ended up running the whole day and 23 miles distance.” After crossing the finishing line, the dog decided to settle in the camp beside Leonard who decided to name her ‘Gobi’.
On the third day, both the dog and the man raced each other for another 26 miles. The other competitors, crew members, and volunteers fell in love with the adorable puppy but Gobi had eyes only for Leonard who shared his sleeping space as well as food and drink with her. While running across the rough terrain, he carried her across sluice gates and rivers which she could not cross on her own.
However, the weather conditions weren’t suitable for Gobi to participate on days four and five, so the organizers of the event (Gobi had earned quite a name for herself) carried the dog to the end point of the race so that she could greet her new friend the moment he arrived.
But that didn’t deter her spirits at all. The next and final day, Gobi was back in the game and the man-dog team crossed the line together.
Gobi thus ran for over half the distance of the 155-mile marathon- a huge achievement for a puppy.
Bring Gobi Home
Meanwhile, Leonard and Gobi have bonded and seem to be inseparable and Leonard hopes to take her to his Scottish home.
Although getting a UK entrance for the dog is a costly and laborious process, Leonard is determined to make it work. Gobi is currently is China with a trusted friend and Leonard is collecting funds for the process. So far dog-lovers from all across the world have donated money to cover the costs and if you want to help him bring his friend home.
Leonard sums it up pretty much: “Gobi picked me to be her pal for life, so I am doing what I can with some great support from around the word to make this happen.”
You don’t need to be a dog lover to be touched by this heart-warming tale, but if you enjoyed this story, you can show your support for Leonard and Gobi by sharing this article!
Featured photo credit: Omni Cai via assets-auto.rbl.ms
The post Homeless Dog Joins A Man During 6-Day Race, Then They Become Inseparable appeared first on Lifehack.
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