Athlete left gutted after adopted marathon-running dog disappears

For those of you who've been following the heartwarming story of Gobi the dog and her new owner Dion Leonard, we're sorry to be the bearer of bad news: Gobi has gone missing.

After the Australian runner was followed for four of the six stages of a tough desert marathon at the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in China, Leonard was so taken with Gobi that he decided to adopt her.

Due to the long and expensive process of adopting a foreign stray, Leonard had to head home to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he now lives and leave Gobi in the care of people in the region's capital Ürümqi, while he sought the funds to bring his new buddy home.

He quickly kickstarted a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money needed to pay for Gobi's quarantine, veterinary bills and adoption proceedings, at a cost of more than £5,000 ($6,600).

In less than three months following the race, Leonard managed to raise well over £19,000 ($21,000), but his efforts were soon thwarted by news that Gobi had disappeared.

"It was such a shock and hard to believe when I was told Gobi had gone missing," he told reporters.

Leonard immediately flew back to Ürümqi to search for the missing dog along with volunteers, but Gobi has yet to turn up.

"I am very heartbroken and saddened about it," he said. "Gobi and I formed such a strong bond during the 250-kilometre race. It breaks my heart knowing that we were going to be spending more time together, but now this may not happen."

Leonard also said that he'll donate the raised funds to dog charities and rescue centres if he can't find Gobi.

We're hoping the twosome will be reunited soon.