Refer China: 河南旅游博主爱犬Chutou被偷杀卖狗肉，中国宠物法律漏洞：盗窃罪门槛2000元，情感损失不赔

2024年5月，河南旅游博主郭的8岁边牧Chutou（粉丝150万）从农场被偷，监控拍下两人骑电动车作案。狗被以180元卖给狗肉餐馆后宰杀，主人出1万元悬赏无效。盗窃罪立案门槛2000元，但法律只认财产价值不认情感损失，主人索赔无门。此事暴露中国缺乏伴侣动物保护法。

Tags:

宠物盗窃

动物保护法漏洞

狗肉贸易

河南

网红边牧

A much-loved eight-year-old Border Collie named Chutou, a social media celebrity with over 1.5 million followers owned by Henan-based travel vlogger Guo, was stolen and killed for dog meat, sparking nationwide public anger and reigniting discussions over China’s insufficient legal safeguards for companion animals.

A celebrity dog in China was stolen, sold for US$25 and eaten. Its owner’s attempts to sue were stymied by weak pet protection laws. Photo: QQ.com

Guo bought Chutou as a 3-month-old puppy for over 2,000 yuan back in 2018. For years, the smart, mild-tempered dog accompanied him on cross-country road trips across deserts and snow-capped mountains, featuring prominently in his travel clips and building a massive online fanbase. When Guo departed for a solo trip to Georgia recently, he left Chutou under his parents’ care on their farmland.

Chutou, above, had more than a million followers on mainland social media. Photo: Douyin

On May 11, the dog vanished from the family’s field; surveillance footage captured two unknown suspects abducting Chutou on an electric bike. Cutting his overseas journey short, Guo rushed home to track down the culprits, locating the alleged thief on May 26 and offering a 10,000-yuan reward for the dog’s safe return. The suspect falsely claimed Chutou had voluntarily followed him as a stray, ignoring clear evidence the dog wore a collar and location tracker while resting on private farmland. Guo later learned Chutou had been sold to a local dog-meat restaurant for merely 180 yuan before being slaughtered. When Guo tried to retrieve the dog’s fur or remains, the restaurant butcher told him all leftover hair had long been discarded as rubbish. Unrepentant, the thief insisted “the dog is dead and no law has been broken.”

Surveillance footage, above, shows the animal theft suspects making off on an electric bicycle with Chutou hidden under a cover. Photo: Douyin

Devastated, Guo filed a police report and submitted documents proving Chutou’s market worth. Per Chinese criminal law, theft qualifies for criminal prosecution only if the stolen property’s appraised value tops 2,000 yuan, carrying a maximum three-year prison sentence upon conviction. Lawyers confirm Guo can claim compensation for the dog’s original purchase cost, yet legal hurdles block reimbursement for the pet’s lucrative commercial value as an internet celebrity or the owner’s profound emotional distress.

Chutou’s owner Guo, above, explains to the media what happened to his dog. Photo: Douyin

Guo, above, photographed in tears over the killing of his beloved pet. Photo: Douyin

The core legal snag lies in China’s lack of nationwide companion animal protection legislation. Under current civil codes, pets are legally categorized solely as personal property, leaving emotional damage unrecognized in most compensation claims. While dogs were removed from China’s official livestock directory in 2020 and cities including Shenzhen and Zhuhai have rolled out local bans on dog and cat consumption, canine meat trade remains legally permitted across most Chinese regions, rooted in long-standing local eating customs.

The heartbreaking case swept Chinese social media, with countless netizens mourning Chutou and demanding stricter national animal welfare rules to curb rampant pet theft and unregulated dog-meat businesses.