A Border Collie dog named "Chutou" from Henan Province in China, which has over 1.5 million followers on social media and is beloved by audiences, was stolen and killed. The 8-year-old dog, who traveled across China from snow-covered mountains to deserts with its owner Guo, a travel influencer, and faithfully guarded its owner even while sleeping in tents at night, became very famous online. While the owner traveled to Georgia, the dog was left with the owner's parents at home, where two strangers stole it using an electric bike with precise timing.
Upon hearing the news, the owner canceled the trip and immediately returned to China to search for the dog and caught the thief. The dog thief claimed that Chutou had been let go to become a stray dog, but this explanation was unbelievable because the dog was wearing a collar and tracker on its neck. What was even more heartbreaking was that the dog was resold at a dog meat restaurant for 180 Chinese yuan (approximately 34 Singapore dollars) and was slaughtered and eaten. The dog thief made no apology and arrogantly said "the dog is already dead, stop looking for trouble, I didn't break the law," and although the owner wanted at least the dog's fur back from the butcher, the thief said the fur had been thrown in the trash.
Currently, the owner has filed a complaint with the police to seek justice and has provided complete evidence of the dog's pedigree and value. According to Chinese law, stolen items valued over 2,000 yuan can be prosecuted as a criminal offense, so if Chutou's value can be determined, the perpetrator could face up to 3 years in prison. Since China does not have a specific law for pet animal protection and treats pets as property, this incident has highlighted more legal loopholes in China's laws regarding pets.
Ref: thestraitstimes
