A social media-famous Border Collie was allegedly stolen, sold, and eaten in China, the dog’s owner told his followers last week.
Travel blogger Guo gained popularity on the Chinese social media app Douyin when he began documenting his adventures with his dog, eight-year-old Chutou.
According to the South China Morning Post, Chutou was reportedly stolen on May 11 from Guo’s father’s house, while Guo himself was overseas.
Guo reportedly tracked down a man he suspected of stealing his beloved dog and offered 10,000 yuan (about $1,500) for his safe return, only to discover that Chutou had already been sold to a restaurant for 180 yuan ($27) to be slaughtered and eaten.
The alleged thief insisted that he didn’t break any laws, saying he had mistaken Chutou for a stray, despite Guo saying his dog had been wearing a collar and a tracker.
Guo found that all traces of his beloved dog had been thrown away
“The dog is dead, so stop making a fuss,” Guo was reportedly told.
When Guo located the restaurant his dog had reportedly been sold to, looking for some of Chutou’s fur to keep, he was told: “The hair was thrown in the rubbish long ago.”
While Guo has insisted he will pursue legal action, one lawyer told Chinese media that theft cases are pursued criminally only if the stolen property is valued at more than 2,000 yuan.
According to Humane Society International, some 10 million dogs are killed for China’s dog meat trade every year, even though many Chinese cities have outright banned the consumption of dogs and cats.
At this point, China has no standard national companion-animal protection law like Israel, and pets are generally treated as any other piece of property in the eyes of the law.