Seven dogs break free from thieves and travel 17 km together to return to their village in China.
The video of seven dogs from different breeds traveling together, uncertain about where to go, stopping to see curious passersby, has been doing the rounds. As social media users ask Grok whether the video is real, the South China Morning Post reported that the seven dogs walking along a busy highway in Changchun, Jilin province, were spotted by a netizen surnamed Lu.
They were stolen by thieves working for a dog meat shop and were whisked away in a truck. But the seven dogs escaped from the truck and returned home, traveling 17 km in two days. The group of dogs included a German Shepherd, which was injured, a Corgi, Golden Retreivers, Labradors and Pekinese dogs.
“They resemble a band of little brothers in distress, moving in unison – nothing like stray dogs,” Lu told Dahe Daily. Lu said he tried to help the dogs several times, wanted to guide them to safety, but the dogs kept on walking and ignored his attempts.
Lu shared the video on Douyin, urging the authorities to step in. The dogs were seen wandering through nearby fields by some others, too, along the way. As their videos started going viral on Chinese social media, volunteers tracked their movement and ensured that they were home safely. Bitter Coffee Stray Dog Base told SCMP that the dogs are from the save village and they know each other as they often play together and that’s why they remained in a pack for two days as they returned home.
One volunteer claimed that individuals operating a dog meat shop had stolen the dogs, suggesting they may have escaped from a truck, though no witnesses saw their departure.Based on the timeline of the videos of them walking back home, it’s believed that they escaped on March 16 and returned to their respective homes on March 18. In China, dog theft is considered a criminal offence, with penalties that can include fines or imprisonment based on the value of the animal.
