China's Celebrity Dog With 1.5M Followers Stolen, Slaughtered For Meat — Thief Thought It Was Stray
China's Celebrity Dog With 1.5M Followers Stolen, Slaughtered For Meat — Thief Thought It Was Stray Published By, Last Updated: June 04, 2026, 20:30 IST
China's Celebrity Dog With 1.5M Followers Stolen, Slaughtered For Meat — Thief Thought It Was Stray Published By, Last Updated: June 04, 2026, 20:30 IST The eight-year-old Border Collie, named Chutou, was a well-known online companion to travel influencer Guo. According to local media reports, Chutou disappeared on May 11 while Guo was travelling overseas. A social media-famous Border Collie with more than 1.5 million followers in China has been stolen and slaughtered for meat after the alleged thief claimed he mistook it for a stray dog. The eight-year-old dog, named Chutou, was a well-known online companion to travel influencer Guo, who regularly documented their journeys across China on the short-video platform Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Stolen from family care According to local media reports, Chutou disappeared on May 11 while Guo was travelling overseas. The dog was being looked after by Guo’s father at the family home in Henan province when he noticed it missing from nearby farmland, the South China Morning Post reported.
Surveillance footage reportedly showed two individuals arriving on an electric scooter and taking the dog away, prompting Guo to cut short his trip and return to China to begin searching for his pet. Chutou, a dog influencer with 1.5 million followers on Chinese social media, went missing only for its owner to later discover that it had reportedly been sold for just $34 in a dog meat market, leaving him devastated and in tears pic.twitter.com/Z4vsLu1VVp— Lord Immy Kant (@KantInEastt) June 4, 2026 Guo later located a suspect and offered a reward of 10,000 yuan to retrieve the dog, but was told Chutou had already been sold for about 180 yuan to a dog dealer and passed on to a restaurant, where it was slaughtered and consumed. The alleged thief reportedly claimed he believed the dog was a stray that followed him after being called. Guo rejected this explanation, pointing out that Chutou was wearing a collar and had a GPS tracker, though the device had reportedly run out of battery.
Outrage and legal action The case has triggered strong public anger in China, where Chutou had built a large online following and was widely known for its intelligence and energetic personality. Guo has since filed a police complaint and is reportedly pursuing legal action. He also confronted those involved in the alleged sale and slaughter of the animal, but was told no remains were recoverable. Legal experts quoted in local reports say theft charges may depend on whether the dog’s value exceeds the threshold required for criminal prosecution. In China, pets are generally treated as property under civil law, and there is no comprehensive national law protecting companion animals. While some cities have restrictions on dog meat consumption, there is no nationwide ban, and practices vary across regions. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad.
From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers,... Read More Location: China First Published: June 04, 2026, 20:24 IST News world China's Celebrity Dog With 1.5M Followers Stolen, Slaughtered For Meat — Thief Thought It Was Stray Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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