Australian ultramarathon runner Dion Leonard has flown 10 hours and gone more than a day without sleep as he makes a desperate attempt to be reunited with the stray dog that captured hearts across the world after following him for more than 125 kilometres across China.
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Mr Leonard's tiny but determined running buddy "Gobi" won global fame as he stayed at the swift Aussie's heels throughout an extremely challenging race across mountainous and desert areas of China.
When Mr Leonard crossed the finish line with Gobi close behind, he launched a crowdfunding appeal to adopt the dog and fly him home to Edinburgh. But now Gobi has gone missing in the remote north-west city of Urumqui, and Mr Leonard is combing streets and animal shelters, after dropping everything and flying straight to China.
He knows he needs a miracle but he's determined to give it a shot.
"The search for Gobi continues. It's hard to know where to look with such a large city and so many people. We have a small group of volunteers helping and whilst we have had lots of lookalike Gobi sightings we haven't found the real Gobi yet," Mr Leonard posted on Monday.
Mr Leonard's original funding campaign has raised nearly four times its almost $7000 target, but Leonard is unable to access the cash for 30 days.
With that in mind, he has launched another funding page to help fuel the search.
Mr Leonard has posted pictures to the "Bring Gobi Home" Facebook page showing him tacking up posters in China, calling for assistance and even spotting a dog that looks just like his missing friend.
Mr Leonard is also appealing for help on the Chinese micro-blogging website Weibo, which has close to 200 million users, something he says could unleash the power of numbers to help find Gobi.
"If people can share the information on Gobi missing in Urumqi and Xinjiang area of China that would be a great help," Mr Leonard posted on the Bring Gobi Home Facebook page.
