PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
A thousand miles and counting.
This stray dog has become the inspiration for a group of Chinese cyclists.
Nicknamed "Xiaosa", the dog followed the long-distance cyclists after one of them gave it food.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CYCLIST XIAO YONG, SAYING:
"At first we didn't consider keeping it and thought it just wanted to follow us for a while. But it showed very strong willpower and followed us all the way here. There is a steep downhill slope in Litang, so we made a cage for it."
Xiaosa ran with the team for 24 days, covering over 1,100 miles from central Hubei Province to Tibet.
The little white dog has shown incredible determination, running up to 37 miles in one day.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CYCLIST XIAO YONG, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE OVERLAID WITH SHOTLIST #16):
"Xiaosa's perseverance moved us a lot. With its encouragement, we finally reached the Potala Palace. Now we are very excited and very moved. I am going to do whatever I need to bring it back with me as it has taken me for its master."
Since dogs are not allowed on trains in China, Xiao Yong plans to pay for his new friend's trip back to Wuhan by air, while he travels by train separately.
Sophia Soo, Reuters.