Stray dog follows man in grueling 77-mile race

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CHINA — A tiny stray dog was able to find the perfect home after a 77-mile journey. Marathoner Dion Leonard was one of many runners to participate in the grueling 2016 Gobi March 4 Deserts Race in China earlier this year. The race entails running over 150 miles over the Tian Shan Mountains to the Black Gobi Desert over a course of seven days. During the race, a little stray dog joined the group of runners.

The pup especially took a liking to Leonard, who shared his sleeping space, food and water with her, Leonard says in a Crowdfunder post. “During the race I had to make small allowances to ensure Gobi’s safety and completion of the stages she ran, I carried her across rivers and over sluice gates she could not cross on her own,” he says in the post. “Gobi rested on Day 4 and Day 5 due to the heat of the desert but waited for me at the finish line and I knew then this was no ordinary dog and experience.”

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