Celebrity dog stolen, sold for US$25 and eaten

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A beloved Border Collie with more than 1.5 million followers on mainland social media was reportedly stolen from its family in central China, sold for about US$25 and slaughtered in a restaurant, leaving its owner fighting for justice amid gaps in the country’s pet-protection framework.

Guo, a travel influencer from Henan province, raised the eight-year-old dog Chutou after buying him as a puppy in 2018.

While Guo was abroad, surveillance footage showed two strangers taking Chutou on an electric bike.

Guo returned immediately and launched legal action, but the case has exposed limitations in Chinese law when it comes to pets, which are still not universally recognised or protected as companion animals in the same way as in some other countries.

The incident has struck a nerve online, highlighting how theft and the illicit trade in dogs can end in slaughter, and renewing calls from animal lovers for stronger enforcement and clearer legal protections for pets.

Read the full report on South China Morning Post: China celebrity dog stolen, sold for US$25 and eaten; owner sues, stymied by weak pet laws.