Celebrity China dog with 1.5 million followers stolen, sold to restaurant for $34 and eaten

A border collie in China with 1.5 million online followers went missing — only for its owner to discover that it had been sold to a dog meat restaurant for just 180 yuan (S$34) and eaten. 

The incident occurred in Ningling county in Shangqiu, Henan province, reported news outlet HK01. 

The pet owner, identified as Guo (transliteration), was on an overseas road trip at the time and had left the dog, named Chutou, in his father's care.

Guo's father reportedly took Chutou with him while working in the fields. The dog had stayed by the car as usual but was later found missing.

Upon learning the news, Guo returned home and posted several videos on social media offering a reward of 5,000 yuan in hopes of finding his beloved dog. 

Guo, who raised Chutou for nine years, first saw the dog by the roadside and bought it for 2,000 yuan, reported Chinese newspaper Dahe Daily.

When Guo began travel blogging, he frequently brought Chutou along on his trips. His account later amassed over 1.58 million followers, many of whom were smitten by the border collie.

Despite reporting the incident to the police and searching for several days, the dog could not be found. Guo later discovered through CCTV footage that Chutou had been taken by a couple on an electric scooter.

'I did not break the law', says thief 

Guo identified and tracked down the man in another village and confronted him on May 26. 

The culprit initially denied the wrongdoing but after seeing Guo's surveillance footage, he revealed that he had sold the dog for 180 yuan to a dog dealer on May 14. He claimed to have mistaken Chutou for a stray dog as it had followed him when he called it. 

Guo later called the dog dealer and learned that Chutou had been resold and slaughtered. 

The alleged thief and his family reportedly refused to apologise, saying: "The dog is dead, so stop making a fuss. I did not break the law."

Owner says he won't accept private settlement

The Ningling County Public Security Bureau has reportedly opened an administrative case on the incident.

Lin Feiran (transliteration), a lawyer at Beijing Jingdu Law Firm, told Dahe Daily there is currently no separate legislation in China for domestic pets and the incident can only be treated as theft. 

In a Douyin post on May 31, Guo thanked netizens for all the "attention, support and solidarity". 

He shared that the authorities have been making efforts to expedite the case and that he has been actively cooperating with them. 

Guo added that he will not accept any form of mediation or private settlement, and intends to pursue the matter legally.

Investigations are ongoing. 

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esther.lam@asiaone.com