BEIJING: A celebrity dog in central China, with more than 1.5 million followers on social media, was stolen and slaughtered as the alleged thief mistook it for a stray.
The dog’s owner is now seeking justice and has highlighted major gaps in the country’s legal protections for pets.
The eight-year-old Border Collie was known as Chutou, and was famous for his intelligence and energy.
It was owned by Guo, a travel influencer from China’s Henan province, news outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.
In several photographs and videos on mainland social media, Chutou was seen accompanying its owner on years of journeys across multiple regions in China, ranging from snowy mountains to deserts.
Often, viral clips showed Chutou guarding Guo outside his tent at night.
The dog was bought by the travel influencer from a street vendor for over 2,000 yuan (S$379) in 2018. At that time, the puppy was three months old, according to Fengmian News.
The incident took place when Guo recently went on a solo road trip in Georgia and left Chutou with his parents at home.
On May 11, Guo’s father noticed that the dog was missing from the family fields. Later on, the family found out through surveillance footage that two strangers took Chutou away on an electric bike.
After hearing him, Guo decided to cut short his trip and came back to China to look out for his pet.
Within a few weeks, Guo was able to identify the man accused of stealing the dog. After locating the person, he offered him 10,000 yuan and requested to return the dog.
The alleged thief later told Guo that he mistook Chutou for a stray and claimed that the dog started following him after being called.
However, the travel influencer rejected his explanation and highlighted that his pet was wearing a collar and tracker. He added that the dog was resting on the family’s farmland.
Thereafter, Guo was informed that Chutou was ultimately sold to a dog meat restaurant for 180 yuan.
Without offering any apology, the person reportedly said: “The dog is dead, so stop making a fuss. I did not break the law.”
Guo then decided to confront the restaurant worker, who slaughtered Chutou. He was hoping to recover his pet dog’s remains or fur.
However, the butcher told him that the “hair was thrown in the rubbish long ago”.
Devastated, Guo filed a case with the police and even submitted evidence of Chutou’s market value, in hopes that the matter would lead to criminal charges.
Du Wei, a lawyer at Sichuan Weixu Law Firm, shared that theft cases can be pursued criminally in the country only if the value of the stolen property is more than 2,000 yuan.
The suspect could face a theft charge that carries up to three years in prison if Chutou’s value is established, according to SCMP.
Notably, there is no companion animal protection law in China, since pets are majorly treated as property and disputes get handled mainly via civil compensation.
The report further highlighted that while there was no nationwide ban on eating canine meat, dogs remain excluded from China’s livestock catalogue since 2020.
In major cities like Shenzhen and Zhuhai, there is a ban on eating dogs and cats. However, in several regions in the country, dog meat is still treated as a traditional ingredient. - The Statesman/ANN
