Author Dion Leonard introduced Gobi, the stray dog who inspired his bestselling book, to the students at Louisville’s Coal Creek Elementary on Wednesday as he shared how the two formed a strong bond during a grueling race through China’s Gobi Desert.
“This was an amazing adventure,” he said. “It’s a story about running and friendship.”
The “Finding Gobi” author, his wife, Lucja Leonard, and the sweet and scruffy Gobi visited Coal Creek, Fireside Elementary, Louisville Middle, Monarch High and Eldorado PK-8. Leonard read from his book, shared stories and videos of Gobi and answered questions. Gobi, thought to be around 10 years old, stuck mainly with lounging.
Librarians at the five schools created a “One Book, One Community” event around “Finding Gobi.” Along with reading the book, students could participate in a scavenger hunt to find Gobi by looking for posters and collecting trivia over spring break in Superior and Louisville businesses.
“It was really neat to connect the schools around this big community event,” Coal Creek librarian Sarah Kirby said. “The book reflects the strength and perseverance we have had as a community after the Marshall Fire.”
“Finding Gobi” is now available in 24 languages and multiple formats, from the original full-length novel to a board book. Prior to Leonard’s visit, elementary teachers read the picture book out loud to all the students at their schools.
An ultra-marathon runner, Leonard met Gobi while competing in the weeklong, 155-mile race through the desert in 2016.
His first impression of Gobi wasn’t promising. He described seeing her chewing on his shoe covers as he waited to start the second day of the race, frustrated that the “pesky” little dog wouldn’t stop. But as the race started, she stopped chewing and took off running behind him.
He and the other racers gave her bits of their food and shared their water when they stopped for the night, and she continued to run with Leonard.
He was in third place during the race and hoping to move up to first. He saw his chance as he headed down a hill and came to a fast-moving, waist deep river. He plunged in close behind his two competitors, then heard Gobi barking, yelping and whimpering behind him on the bank.
He debated, but ultimately decided to go back for her. He started out holding her in one hand away from his body, afraid she night bite. By the time he made it across, he said, he was cradling her like a baby. The two became fast friends, with Leonard carrying Gobi when the heat was too extreme and Gobi curling up beside him each night.
“Winning a race really isn’t that important, is it,” he asked the students. “Winning isn’t always everything. After I decided to pick her up, I realized maybe we’re going to be friends forever.”
Photos of him after finishing the race with Gobi, both of them sporting medals, went viral and he was offered a deal to write a book about the experience. The small dog ended up running almost 80 miles of the race.
“This dog was born to run,” he said.
Leonard asked the students to guess how many tricks Gobi knows, with guesses ranging from zero to several hundred. He then showed a video of Gobi, tail cheerfully wagging, ignoring commands to sit, roll over, shake and do flips. While not great at tricks, he said, Gobi’s a champion runner and can play fetch.
After the race, he promised Gobi he would bring her home with him to Edinburgh. But she ended up lost in a Chinese city of three million before she could be quarantined, so he put up posters and offered a $10,000 reward. Soon, hundreds of people joined the search, and she was finally found six weeks later in a park.
“Do you ever give up,” Leonard asked. “No. Especially not on your friends.”
Including the required quarantine and time for her to heal from surgery for a leg injury, it ended up taking him six months to get Gobi home. She’s now a worldwide traveler, meeting celebrities and attending book talk events.
“She’s a very popular little puppy,” Leonard said.
