On July 22, outdoor sports enthusiast and internet user “La Ji Zai Lü Xing” (Old Ji on Travel) successfully summited Mount Muztagh Ata at an altitude of 7,546 meters and then began descending. During the climb, he encountered a dog at an altitude of 5,300 meters and ascended together with it all the way to 6,020 meters. Due to its mysterious appearance and disappearance, almost like a guide, the dog was called the “Heavenly Dog,” and some netizens even referred to it as the cousin of “GOGO Xiaosa.”
Encountering a dog “loafing around” on the snow mountain
At 10:22 am on the 19th, “La Ji Zai Lü Xing” posted on Sina Weibo: “A dog wandered into the camp at an altitude of 5,300 meters.” In the accompanying photo, a black-backed, white-bellied dog was strolling on the snow mountain, gazing toward the yellow tents set up by the mountaineers.
“La Ji Zai Lü Xing” (hereinafter referred to as “La Ji”) is an outdoor sports enthusiast, the director of an outdoor travel department in Shanghai, and a 30-year-old from Liaoning whose real name is Xu Chenghua.
Xu Chenghua told reporters over the phone that he was leading a 13-person team climbing Mount Muztagh Ata, which stands at 7,546 meters in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Just as they were preparing to set off from the camp to continue ascending, they spotted the “wandering” dog, which looked very much like a local Chinese rural dog.
Climbing is physically demanding, and at high altitudes there's also a lack of oxygen. When the dog appeared, “La Ji” and his team were thrilled and couldn’t quite believe it — “How did it get up here? What’s keeping it going?”
This post about the dog climbing the mountain also ignited excitement among netizens. One netizen, “Call Me Laofan,” joked: “A dog just passing through at 5,300 meters for no particular reason.”
Playing along the way, also acting like a guide
At 12:34 pm, “La Ji” posted again on Weibo: “Oh my God, this Heavenly Dog actually climbed up with us to 5,600 meters, and it wasn’t even panting or tired, still running upward.”
In the post, “La Ji” directly referred to the dog as the “Heavenly Dog.” He said that during the afternoon and evening of that day, the weather was snowy and windy — they had to stop and rest every few steps, and visibility didn’t exceed 20 meters. But the “Heavenly Dog” acted like a guide, always staying within five meters of them.
During this half-day trek, the team passed through dangerous areas like ravines, and every time they approached such sections, the dog would appear. “Being so close to the sky, I really don’t know if this was fate. It would run up a snow slope, then dash down rapidly from above, kicking up a spray of snow — it was beautiful,” said “La Ji.”
The Disappearance — Where Did the Heavenly Dog Go?
At 6:30 pm, “La Ji” posted a third Weibo about the dog: “I will always remember this Heavenly Dog that climbed the mountain. I say this because I believe that in these highland regions so close to the sky, there are so many emotions and mysteries that cannot be explained...”
When “La Ji” and his team reached the 6,020-meter camp, they began setting up their tents. By the time the tents were fully pitched, the dog had suddenly disappeared. “In that snowy landscape, it vanished in the blink of an eye.”
Many netizens were instantly reminded of the dog that ran to Lhasa — Xiaosa. One netizen, “Powerful King,” called it the “cousin of ‘GOGO Xiaosa.’”
Another netizen, “Chong Er Beibei,” remarked: “This is bare climbing — all those fleeces, windbreakers, crampons, and oxygen tanks are just frivolous...”
Where did it come from, and where did it go?
Mount Muztagh Ata, at 7,546 meters above sea level, is covered in thick snow year-round and is barely habitable for humans — only professional mountaineers occasionally challenge themselves there. How did that dog survive? “La Ji” couldn’t figure it out. Over the years, he has climbed many snow mountains, but this was the first time he encountered a dog on one — and it escorted him all the way to the camp.
The sudden disappearance of the dog upset “La Ji” and drew concern from many netizens about its whereabouts. One netizen, “Roy - Headhunter Xiao Jun,” asked: “Did it disappear into the snowstorm to find its owner?”
“La Ji” even hoped the dog would show up again the next day, but until they descended yesterday, they never saw it again.
Related links>>
The “Big Grey Wolf” summits Mount Habaxue
On July 25, 2006, a user named “Shanjir Ye Mao Lu” posted on a travel forum about the first dog to summit Mount Habaxue — the “Big Grey Wolf.” The poster explained that when the Big Grey Wolf was two months old, it was trained to climb small ice slopes, and by the age of one, it had summited Mount Habaxue, which stands at 5,396 meters in the southeastern part of Shangri-La County.
“GOGO Xiaosa” runs to Lhasa
In early May this year, in Yajiang, Sichuan, Wuhan university student Xiaoyong met a stray dog. At the time, he was cycling along National Highway 318 on the Sichuan-Tibet route, and the little dog voluntarily followed him, running an average of 50 kilometers per day. Along the way, they crossed 12 mountains over 4,000 meters in altitude, and eventually the dog arrived in Lhasa with Xiaoyong. Netizens affectionately called the stray dog “GOGO Xiaosa.”
Synchronized to youmezz’s Weibo