A stray dog has won over the hearts of a community after it spontaneously completed a half-marathon alongside human competitors in outback Western Australia. https://t.co/6V5ptMzEiq #Dog #Marathon #ABCNews pic.twitter.com/8IETC1SW0i
— ABC Adelaide (@abcadelaide) August 1, 2018
Over 90 people ran in Australia’s Ellery Brookman Goldfields Pipeline Half Marathon, but one participant wasn’t even human. As the runners got ready to hit the trail, a stray dog named Stormy showed up to greet them. The friendly pooch made friends with everyone he could before the competitors met at the starting line. When the air horn finally blew and the racers took off, Stormy joined his newfound buddies for a run.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the dog kept pace with the runners despite his rather stumpy legs. Stormy stayed near the middle and back of the pack, as he seemed more interested in meeting every new person along the trail, rather than running in a straight line. The pup stopped at each station but kept on running. In fact, he completed the entire half marathon with the top 70 runners, but more importantly, he won the hearts of everyone at the event.
For completing the 13.1 mile (21 km) run and stopping at every checkpoint, Stormy earned a finisher’s medal. Unfortunately, he also earned a trip to the pound as Rangers picked him up at the finish line. He’ll only be there for a short time, though. Stormy will have to stay at an animal management facility for seven days until an owner comes forward. It seems that Stormy is more of a “dog about town” in a nearby Aboriginal community, and even though everyone there knows and loves him, he doesn’t seem to have one sole owner.
Don’t worry too much about Stormy, though. If no one comes forward, he’ll be adopted to a forever home very quickly. Several of the runners expressed interest in taking Stormy home, and many more people who have seen the pup’s story are interested, too. Staff at the pound say he’s a sweet, good boy and will be missed very much when he leaves, but I’m sure they will be happy to see Stormy go to a loving family that will take him for as many runs as he likes.
Are you amazed that this pup randomly joined a half marathon? Do you hope to see Stormy in a forever home soon? Let us know in the comments below!
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