Often animals have qualities that seem to be peculiar only to humans. But our smaller brothers can really surprise with their fortitude, fortitude, and devotion. This touching story happened at the stage of the “Four Deserts Super Marathon” in Gobi in China.
The participants had to run about 250 kilometers in very difficult conditions: they were waiting for extreme heat during the day and cold at night. Temperature differences in the Gobi desert reach 40 degrees in one day! Not every trained and strong athlete can withstand such conditions, let alone dogs. 
Nevertheless, it was this animal that stuck to the participant from Scotland of Australian origin, Leonard Dion, during the passage of the most difficult stage of the super marathon in the desert. A 41-year-old man was accompanied by a small dog for almost 100 kilometers!
She came from nowhere, she overcame all the trials together with everyone, but very soon she came to Leonard. The little frisky dog was with the runner from Edinburgh all the time: both during the marathon and when she went to bed. Leonard became very attached to the fearless and persistent animal. The man gave the dog a name in honor of the Gobi Desert. 
The animal was rapidly running along with the marathon runner on the hot sands, keeping up with the athlete. All participants of the competition were simply amazed by the resilience and endurance of an ordinary mongrel. It is obvious that Gobi had a hard time in her street life, but it is unlikely that the dog had traveled such distances in the desert before!
It couldn’t help but amaze all marathon runners! But there was no way Gobi could keep up with his new master! On the first day, Gobi ran together with the marathon runners as much as 34 kilometers! Leonard really couldn’t understand how such a small animal could withstand such a frenzied pace! 
And so it went on from day to day. Every time the athlete thought that the dog simply could not stand such a persistent and long run through the hot desert. But Gobi continued to follow the new owner! Dion was simply amazed by the tenacity and endurance of his faithful friend.
Gobi spent every night at a distance, and at night she rested in the athlete’s tent. But after a few days of heavy loads, the dog still gave up. She got heatstroke and didn’t go the distance. During this time, Gobi managed to become a universal favorite, literally part of the marathon team. 
The organizers took the mongrel to themselves while Dion overcame the distance. The dog was taken by car to the finish line, where she waited for a man every day. On the very last day of the event, Gobi again ran several kilometers with Leonard. The dog seemed to feel that this was the end of the event.
As a result, together with the new owner, Gobi received a silver medal! Yes, they took second place at the super marathon! The brave little mongrel was even awarded a real medal! Gobi has become the heroine of the super marathon! The dog inspired the man and all the participants of the marathon, helped to relieve stress from a long journey by its presence alone. 
The man says that an amazing meeting with Gobi helped him overcome the distance, take second place. But he is even more glad that he recognized this extraordinary loyal and persistent dog, which changed his attitude to animals. Gobi has covered almost 100 of the 250 kilometers of the super marathon with Leonard!
Only heat stroke could stop her, from which she recovered for several days. After the finish, Dion decided to keep Gobi for himself. He became so attached to the dog that he just couldn’t imagine going to Edinburgh without her. However, the athlete faced financial difficulties. 
Transporting a dog from China to Scotland is expensive, so Dion had to announce a collection of money for transportation. It was necessary to obtain veterinary documents, organize the delivery of Gobi. This required a substantial amount: about 6.5 thousand dollars. The Gobi story quickly spread throughout the world’s media.
Readers were captivated by the brave little mutt! Dion collected several times more money than he needed for transportation! He collected 22 thousand dollars of donations from all over the world! Everything was going as well as possible, but something unexpected happened. 
The fact is, Gobi was in quarantine until the moment when the new owner had to take her to his home. But the restless Gobi, accustomed to daily running, could not stay locked up for a long time. The dog ran away without waiting for Leonard’s arrival. The man was in Scotland, Gobi in China. As soon as Dion found out about the incident, he immediately went in search of the dog.
The athlete flew to China to find his new friend! He understood that he was responsible for the animal that chose him as its owner. “I have to do my best for her!” – that’s what Dion said about his act. In China, a lot of people are imbued with the history of the mongrel. 
Hundreds of volunteers were looking for Gobi, her photo was printed by local newspapers. But how to find one dog in a city with a population of three million people? Dion understood that he would have to go home without Gobi. The man had already lost hope of finding her when he was once again called to say that they had found the same dog.
These calls came so often, but they brought nothing but disappointment! But Dion once again went to the people who thought they had found Gobi. The man had almost no doubt that this time it would not be his dog. But what was his surprise, and most importantly – joy, when he saw Gobi, who immediately rushed to Dion! 
The dog screamed with delight, she was happy to be reunited with her man! Dion considers it a real miracle that the Gobi was found after all. It would have been impossible without the help of a huge number of people! The dog, along with its new owner, has already arrived in Edinburgh, settled in Dion’s house, feels great!