Dion LeonardBesprekingen

Loved the story about Gobi. Dion comes off as an egotistical, entitled dude and I really am not a fan.

I didn't expect to like this book. I read it for a book club and was pleasantly surprised to find myself staying up to read just a bit more. It was light-hearted but not cheesy. I enjoyed that it was more about the journey of the author than about the little dog.

This is the Trempealeau County Reads title for the year. I enjoyed this story of Gobi choosing Dion in the race in China and the search for her when she goes missing. Searching in China for a dog involves language, political and emotional support for Dion in ways I hadn't thought of. She captured my heart. Too bad the Coronavirus may prevent any of the planned events surrounding this.

Finding Gobi is the story about how ultra-marathon runner, Dion Leonard, met a stray dog while competing on a race through China's Gobi Desert. The pup won the hearts of everyone who was part of the race, participants and staff alike. Dion knew he couldn't leave her behind - he somehow had to find a way to take her home with him to Scotland.

This story was so heartwarming. Gobi is an amazing dog. She completed the equivalent of two marathons as she ran to keep up with Dion during the race. She's lucky everyone involved had a kind heart. It's amazing how many people volunteered to help get this little dog to her new home, even when it looked like she might not make it. The story helped restore a little of my faith in humanity.

Cute and sweet but lacking depth½

This is quite an amazing true story. It is one of those feel good stories. It is told honestly and straightforwardly. I really like Dion Leonard and also learned a lot about the how and really the WHY someone runs in these long distance brutal races through deserts etc. Then to hear how Gobi just attaches himself to Dion and how Dion takes in this little dog with the big heart. Next the battle to help Gobi come to live with Dion in Scotland. A great read.!!!

This is a feel good book.
Dion Leonard is an ultra runner as he runs through the Gobi desert he meets a little mongrel dog he calls her Gobi.
She runs with him,stays in his tent. They both grow attached to each other.
After the race he wants to adopt her and take her back home to Scotland, there is a lot of red tape she goes missing.
Eventually he manages to take her back to Edinburgh. Nice heart warming story.

While I found the descriptions of Deon's marathons rather boring, I did admire his determination to save Gobi from a life as a little stray in China. Gobi's story was touching and I loved how so many people, worldwide, supported Deon's efforts through social media. Gobi's journey wasn't an easy one, but thanks to the generosity of strangers, and her tenacious spirit, she finally found love, peace and her forever home. A sweet story.

Gobi: A Little Dog with a Big Heart is an adorable picture book based on a true story. The author did a great job of making the story and illustrations pleasing to young children. There is also a book for older children called Finding Gobi: Young Reader's Edition. Dion Leonard is running a 177 mile race of the Gobi Desert. He meets this little dog partway through the race and realizes that he is running with him. He names him Gobi after the desert. They complete the journey together with some trials and tribulations. When the race ends, Dion adopts Gobi and takes him home to Scotland to be part of the family with his wife and cat. I loved the illustrations in this book. They are large, colourful and fun. They will certainly hold the young child's attention. This book shows the plight of abandoned animals in a positive way. Everyone cannot adopt an abandoned animal from somewhere else in the world, but they can do it in their own communities from their local shelters. The book also stresses perseverance and fulfilling your promises. A great story for a family library, primary classroom, schools or public libraries. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.


This is one of those stories adults will love reading to kids because it’s so positive and upbeat with a real world happy ending.

This is the story of Dion Leonard who finds his salvation in Gobi a cute little mutt who chose him while he was running across the Gobi desert. I'm still trying to decide if Dion is afflicted with cynophilia or cynomania but it's clear he has a thing for Gobi. You'll learn something about running ultramarathons and a little about finding lost dogs in China. You'll learn a lot about what it means to be obsessed over a cute four-legged friend.

"To be trusted so much by a living creature is a powerful thing, especially when you know it could choose to leave at any time. But Gobi never showed any signs of wanting to be anywhere other than right by my side." -Dion Leonard

For dog lovers who are seeking an inspirational, feel-good type of story, well, I think this one qualifies. The story begins in China, during an ultra marathon in the Gobi desert. Not the type of conditions that usually leads to a dog seemingly appearing our of nowhere and attaching herself to a runner. The competitive runner is Dion Leonard, who is an Australian living in Edinburgh. After the race, a crucial decision needs to be made. What will happen to Gobi? Should the dog stay in China with another family or should Dion try to find a way to eventually bring Gobi back to Scotland, even with the all the red-tape and financial expenses? That is what the majority of the story focuses on with some detours into the world of competitive running, mainly highlighting the positive (but occasionally the greedy side) of the human spirit.

I read the Kindle edition of this book, which was 239 pages. I thought the was the perfect length; long enough to tell a detailed story but short enough to avoid being repetitive and boring. The photos located at the end of the book, were a nice added touch.

Mitä pitempi matka, sitä tyhmempi jätkä, sanoo kansanviisaus juoksemisesta. Tuosta voisi päätellä Dion Leonardin olevan umpihullu, sillä maraton on tälle ultrajuoksijalle lähes sama kuin kevyt saunalenkki meille rapakuntoäheltäjille. Leonard juoksee muun muassa monen päivän kisoja, joissa päivämatka on usein huomattavasti pitempi kuin maraton. Lisäksi kisat juostaan usein aavikolla, polttavassa yli 40 asteen helteessä. Rasitus on niin kova, että ainakin yksi kilpailija on kuollut kesken kisan lämpöhalvaukseen.

Gobi ei kuitenkaan kerro varsinaisesti Leonardin juoksemisesta, vaikka siitäkin puhutaan. Eepos kertoo kodittomasta kulkukoirasta, joka alkaa seurata Leonardia Gobin aavikolla. Lopulta Leonard päättää adoptoida koiran ja viedä kotiinsa Skotlantiin. Kulkukoiran kuljettaminen Kiinasta nousee sosiaalisen median, television ja lehtijuttujen ansiosta lopulta uutisaiheeksi ympäri maailmaan, ja tuhannet ihmiset lahjoittavat rahaa karvaturrin kotiinpääsyn varmistamiseksi.

Samalla kun kirja seuraa Gobin matkan edistymistä, Leonard kertoilee myös risaisesta lapsuudestaan, sohvaperunamenneisyydestään ja onnellisesta avioliitostaan. Mihinkään näistä aihepiireistä ei paneuduta kovin syvällisesti, eikä toteamus siitä, että juostessa pakenee lähinnä itseään ja omaa menneisyyttään oikein riitä kirjan syvälliseksi sanomaksi.

Gobi pääsee lopulta kotiin, joten tarinalla on onnellinen loppu. Sellaisia toki kaivataan aikana, jolloin onni on meille kailkille vain lyhyttä lainaa.jos sitäkään.

Luin kirjan kesälomalla mökillä ääneen muulle perheelle. Lapset pitivät Gobin tarinasta kovin, ja vaativat toistuvasti lukemaan vielä yhden luvun lisää. Gobin käännös on valitettavasti tehty kiireellä ja hutiloiden. Toistuvat kieli- ja kirjoitusvirheet eivät lisää lukunautintoa.½

Anyone who love dogs should read this book. It tells how loyal and dependant dogs are and how big their love are. I am a triathlete, I have three adopted dogs and one was a stray. Two are my running buddies. I couldn’t put the book down just curious how it will end.

I learned a lot about ultra marathons.

Dion Leonard ist begeisterter Ultra-Marathonläufer. Es sind keine Glücksgefühle beim Laufen, die ihn zu solchen Rennen motivieren, er will einfach nur gewinnen. Dafür hat er seine höchst eigene Methode, denn um möglichst wenig Gepäck zu haben, hat er nur das nötigste an Essen und Trinken dabei. Beim 7-Tage-Rennen durch die Wüste Gobi in China hat er plötzlich einen Begleiter. Eine kleine Mischlingshündin, die er Gobi nennt, ist immer wieder an seiner Seite. Sie sorgt dafür, dass er nicht aufgibt und sie verändert ihn während der wenigen Tage.
Dies ist eine wahre Geschichte und sie klingt schier unglaublich. Der Autor beschreibt alles sehr ausführlich und gut verständlich. Wie kann man bei den extremen Temperatur in sieben Tagen sechs solch fürchterlichen Etappen laufen? Ich kann nicht nachvollziehen, was einen dazu antreibt. Aber wir erleben das hautnah mit und lernen auch in Dions Erinnerungen seine Vergangenheit kennen.
Warum sich Gobi aus dem Läuferpulk gerade Dion, der mit seiner gelben Bekleidung und gelben Schuhüberziehern wie eine Banane aussieht, ausgesucht hat, wissen wir nicht. Aber er hat während des Laufs großen Einfluss auf Dion, der sich und seine Einstellung merklich ändert. Es ist grandios, wie dieser kleine Hund da mithalten kann.
Dass Gobi bei Dion bleiben muss ist klar, aber Regeln und Gesetze machen das äußerst schwierig. Zum Glück gibt es Unterstützer.
Es ist eine ergreifende Geschichte über eine Freundschaft zwischen Herrchen und Hund.

It's 4am and I just finished this book. A beautiful story of doggy devotion and perseverance. Dion's determination to save his little friend and to give her a forever home is inspirational. If you love dogs you absolutely must read this.

When I read the story behind this book, I was intrigued. A little stray dog followed a marathon runner across the Gobi desert? That sounds like quite a dog.

I shared this book with my daughter (who is 8) and she loved it. Not only are the pictures of the pup cute, but the story is inspiring. Named after the desert he was found in, Gobi ran alongside Dion. And while the goal was to win the marathon, Dion revised that goal to include Gobi as his running partner. The story covers moments like running through rushing water, extreme weather and limited sources of food and water. When one person shows kindness to another, it's wonderful. When a group pulls together and shows kindness, it's amazing. The story is uplifting and encouraging and hopefully, will show that we can find friends in the most unusual of places, if we only keep our eyes (and hearts) open.

This picture book is bright and colorful, with a great story. It would be the perfect read for a young child up to a beginning reader. And who doesn't love a story with a puppy?

I hope they managed to bring this to the big screen. My son loves true story films. This would be one he'd watch (me too!).

BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

When I read the story behind this book, I was intrigued. A little stray dog followed a marathon runner across the Gobi desert? That sounds like quite a dog. I shared this book with my daughter (who is 8) and she loved it. Not only are the pictures of the pup cute, but the story is inspiring. Named after the desert he was found in,

I shared this book with my daughter (who is 8) and she loved it. Not only are the pictures of the pup cute, but the story is inspiring. Named after the desert he was found in, Gobi ran alongside Dion. And while the goal was to win the marathon, Dion revised that goal to include Gobi as his running partner. The story covers moments like running through rushing water, extreme weather and limited sources of food and water. When one person shows kindness to another, it's wonderful. When a group pulls together and shows kindness, it's amazing. The story is uplifting and encouraging and hopefully, will show that we can find friends in the most unusual of places, if we only keep our eyes (and hearts) open.

This picture book is bright and colorful, with a great story. It would be the perfect read for a young child up to a beginning reader. And who doesn't love a story with a puppy?

I hope they managed to bring this to the big screen. My son loves true story films. This would be one he'd watch (me too!).

BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

This story would have been a good article in a magazine. It is not interesting enough to warrant a full length book.
Dion Leonard is an ultra marathoner, originally from Australia and currently living in Edinburgh. The story is about his race in the Gobi desert in China and how a little blond brown dog follows him for the duration. Sometimes Gobi ran, others times she was transported by car.
At the end of the race, Dion decides that he will bring the dog back to Edinburgh. The rest of the story deals with GobiI going missing, Dion and friends launching a crowd funding campaign, dealing with the Chinese bureaucracy, immigration, language issues and finally success.½

Absolutely loved this story! And love Gobi! I am a hardcore dog lover so would have done the very same thing for this amazing girl! As a runner, I found it interesting learning about ultras. Great story, well written and such a happy ending!

I would label this book a memoir of a runner through midlife, with emphasis on a stray dog he encounters.
The author combines his story with the story of a stray dog the he eventually adopts.
His story is of growing up as a rejected child during the age of 10 to 15, and somewhat lost and drifting from then forward.
The dogs story is of a stray with a strong personality who attaches immediately to one of a hundred runners crossing the Gobi desert.

Together the two build strong bonds, the man's feeling of being uncared for dissipates, and the dog becomes family.

The last integral component of the story is the difficulty in bringing a stray dog from China to England.

There is a minor story of finding the dog after a mix of undependable and selfish people interfere with the effort to bring the dog home, causing a major search by some dependable people, and revealing the good of the Chinese people and the mixed characteristics of the Chinese government.

This is a good read fro those who enjoy the complexities of human nature and the good personality traits of most dogs.½

Based on a true story, this beautifully illustrated picture book will beguile the young and young at heart with an adorable story about a man, a dog and the desert.

Gobi won over Dion Leonard’s heart as he was running a multi-day marathon in the Gobi Desert and the story of how Gobi then became a part of Dion’s journey to the finish line and his family won over the world.

Leonard does a great job of condensing the story down to something that will hold the attention span of young children with pictures that will surely embrace their attention with its vivid color pallet and eye pleasing designs.

This is one of those stories adults will love reading to kids because it’s so positive and upbeat with a real world happy ending.