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Relocating from China’s wild Gobi Desert to the high streets of Edinburgh, Scotland would be an adjustment for anyone, but it’s perhaps not surprising that one little dog has settled in comfortably as she prepares to celebrate her first Christmas in her new home. After all, this bundle of fur had already proved her mettle through trials that won her and her owner celebrity status.
Gobi, as she was christened, formed an unbreakable bond with endurance runner Dion Leonard in June 2016 while racing through the vast desert she is now named after.
Partway through the course, the stray mongrel took a liking to Dion, and stayed by his side for an incredible 125 kilometers, across sand dunes and water obstacles in the Xinjiang region of northwest China. Photos of the pair’s epic run went viral.
Gobi and Dion running through the Gobi Desert
After the race, Dion vowed to adopt Gobi and take her home to Edinburgh. He launched a crowdfunding campaign and began the tough bureaucratic process required to fly animals across borders. But then disaster struck – in August, as she was due to enter quarantine for her big trip, Gobi escaped from the caretakers she had been left with in the city of Urumqi, home to 3.5 million people.
“I received a phone call telling me Gobi had gone missing, and it was one of the worst feelings ever,” Dion recalled. “I was sick to my stomach with worry about her safety and well-being. I decided there was only one option and that was to fly 5,000 miles back to Urumqi to find her. I didn’t speak Chinese, I didn’t know anyone and it really was like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Miraculously, with help from pet adoption specialists and local contacts, Gobi was found after about 10 days on the run. She had sustained bad injuries but would recover.
An exhaustive search was launched to find Gobi in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Finally on the plane to Edinburgh, where Australian Dion works for a whisky distiller, the concern was how Gobi would adapt to the drizzly Scottish city and family life with Dion’s wife Lucja and their cat, Lara.
But the once stray dog had no trouble fitting into her new home. When they arrived in January 2017, “Lucja held Gobi as I brought Lara into the room,” Dion told CGTN. “Gobi was like ‘Oh, cool, something to play with’ and Lara was obviously thinking ‘What the hell is that?’"
“I think Gobi knew that Lara must have been important to be in my arms and this was her new family. Later that night, all four of us were in one bed sleeping and it’s been like that every night since.”
Such scenes are enough to warm any heart at Christmas, and Gobi is being rewarded in suitably festive fashion. According to Dion, she’s already been spoiled with plenty of ham, new toys and the odd roll in Scottish snow.
The family already enjoyed Chinese New Year together.
2018 is set to be another busy year for the two of them. A Chinese version of the bestselling book about their experience, “Finding Gobi," is due to be released. And a Hollywood movie is being developed after 20th Century Fox picked up the rights.
After being whisked on a celebrity circuit that has seen runner and dog meet royalty, get interviewed on talk shows and travel the world on a promotional tour, Dion has become an advocate for pet adoption and continues to take part in fundraising events.
While Gobi still accompanies Dion on training jogs around Edinburgh, her desert running days are over. Dion recently took part in an ultramarathon in Peru, without his sidekick.
He said, “There’ll never be another race I do that will compare to the one when Gobi and I met. I think about her all the time now when I run other desert races and while I know she’d love to be next to me, it’s not safe for her to do it in those extreme conditions.”
Gobi has enjoyed plenty of special occasions since becoming famous.
She may be out of the limelight when it comes to race time, but Gobi will be an international star once again when the film is released. After Dion’s memorable experience in China, he also wants the country and the people he met there to feature prominently.
“I hope this movie gets made in China,” he said. “The Chinese people are the heroes of a story that captivated the world and it’s a great opportunity to show off the beauty of Xinjiang.”
(CGTN)
