Long-distance ultra-marathon runner was in a race in China’s Gobi Desert when a small brown dog started following him. At first he ignored the dog, then he carried her across a river, then he and other race participants started giving her food and sharing their water. They were very impressed with the dog’s stamina and determination, keeping up with the runners. The dog -soon named Gobi- began sleeping in his tent, and by the end of the race he felt attached to her and determined to take her home to Scotland. He knew this would be difficult, but it turned out to be a far more lengthy process than anticipated. First Gobi had to pass health inspections in China, then a lot of red tape navigation to get her on a plane, then possibly another long wait in quarantine in the UK. The author himself returned home while most of this was going on, but then it was all stalled because the dog went missing. So he flew back to China to try and find her, lost in a big city. The outpouring of help, as Gobi’s story spread online (due to a crowdfunding effort, blogs about the race and news coverage) was pretty amazing. When he finally located Gobi, he had to sneak her into a hotel, then later find other accommodations as it seemed some people might be trying to kidnap the dog for ransom. It got kind of crazy. But it all cemented their relationship, and in the end he succeeded. At great cost, mind you. Inserted sporadically through the narrative of encountering the dog in the desert and re-locating her in China, are chapters about the author’s painful childhood, why he became a competitive long-distance runner, and why the dog ended up meaning so much to him. It’s a very touching and ultimately uplifting story. And I certainly know more about this extreme sport than I ever expected to before.
A Little Dog with a Very Big Heart
by Dion Leonard

Rating: 3/5
260 pages, 2017