A New York Times Bestseller The amazing true story of a man and a little dog who formed an unbreakable bond in the middle of the Gobi desert–that changed both of their lives forever. Finding Gobi is the miraculous tale of Dion Leonard, a seasoned ultramarathon runner who crosses paths with a stray dog while competing in a 155-mile race through the Gobi Desert in China. The lovable pup, who would … lovable pup, who would later earn the name Gobi, went step for step with Dion over the Tian Shan Mountains and across massive sand dunes, keeping pace with him for 77 miles.
As Dion witnessed the incredible determination and heart of this small animal, he found his own heart undergoing a change as well. Whereas in the past these races were all about winning and being the best, his goal now was to make sure he and Gobi’s friendship continued well after the finish line.
However, before he could take her home, Gobi went missing in the sprawling Chinese city where she was being kept. Dion, with the help of strangers and a viral outpouring of assistance on the internet, set out to track her down, and reunite with the dog that changed his life.
Read this inspiring story and discover how miracles truly are possible–and find your own heart changing as well.
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Great read
Loved it!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Dion Leonard, who competes in ultraraces in unforgiving climates. The first day of a six-day race in the Gobi desert, a spunky little dog he later named Gobi attaches herself to him and spends the week running with him by day and curling up with him at night in his tent. Leonard decides to add little Gobi to his household in Edinburgh, but while he’s dealing with bureaucracy in China and the UK, the dog escapes from her temporary caregiver in China and is lost. The rest of the book details Leonard’s search for her, which captured media attention and the help of a cadre of volunteers. His description of the search and the people who became friends along the way is heartwarming. His description of the Gobi desert race and others he has run also was fascinating to me.
The story is worthwhile, but Gobi’s character didn’t seemed developed other than he followed his new “pack leader”. We are left to question if it was fate, chance, or “a miracle”. Some interesting ultra marathon bits included.
This was an enjoyable and interesting read. From a story-telling perspective, it certainly has enough mystery and action-suspense when little Gobi goes missing while Dion Leonard goes through the process of getting her out of China. But the biggest take-away from this story, besides the obvious heart-warming story of a man and his dog, is the lesser-known heart-warming story of the community that rallied around him to support his efforts to take Gobi home and to find her when she went missing. Worth the read.
Don’t know why this is showing the Spanish version. I have the English version. It’s a great book. If you enjoy inspirational books about dogs and human characters, this is a great read!
I really enjoyed this story about the little dog Gobi and the ultra-distance runner he followed.
OMG!!! I can’t remember the last time a book made me cry but then again, I’m such a sucker for a really good doggie story. I vaguely remember hearing this story a few years ago so when I came across the book recently, I decided to read it to refresh my memory. Sooo glad I did – such a beautiful story. I just can’t say enough.
I picked up this book as our local library’s community read and I have to admit the storyline really grabbed me as did the sweet dog on the cover (yes, covers do sell books). It’s the story of a dog who follows a marathon runner across the Gobi Desert. Without a reason why, this dog attaches himself to the man and the man, although reluctantly at first, becomes attached to the dog. Once the race is over, however, how he brings Gobi home to Scotland is quite another story. It’s charming and heartwarming and I couldn’t get that pooch out of my head. Read this when you need hope and a smile.
A wonderful book is Finding Gobi! I truly enjoyed every page and learned a lot about cross country running and the people who do it. Especially loved the story of little Gobi.
What a journey this author went on. You are the every step odd the way with him and the wonderful little dog. Highly recommend this.
Heartwarming story of a dog an a runner who help each other. With no tragedy!
A great read about man’s bonding with our four legged companions.
This book had me a little confused. I thought it was a true story but some of it seemed too improbable. I did finish it tho, because….dogs!
It’s not great literature, but if you like dogs you will love the story. It is a quick, fun read.
An amazing story of a little dog & his escapades. For me a dramatic page turner.
Interesting to read about ultra marathon runners. Surprising to find a little dog that kept up with the runners, in particular Dion Leonard who made it his quest to bring the dog home from China,
Really very interesting. Runners world plus lots of other things going on. Amazing story.
If you’re a marathon runner, you might enjoy this book more. It wad just kind of meh, for me.
Any animal lover would enjoy this story! The loyalty of the racer and the dog was so special and inspiring! The race through the desert was informative and very interesting! But it seems to me that putting your life at risk for a race is questionable.