News Summary
- Seven dogs stolen near Changchun in Jilin Province, China, walked 17 kilometers to return home.
- The dogs were believed stolen for the meat trade but escaped from a truck, supporting each other through the cold night journey.
Seven dogs went missing from a small village near Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province in northeastern China. These dogs walked over 17 kilometers on foot to return home, a story that has gone viral worldwide.
Here is how the incident unfolded:
On the night of March 16, 2026, seven dogs suddenly disappeared from a small village near Changchun. It is believed that thieves stole the dogs by loading them onto a truck, suspected to be for the meat trade.
The truck was en route to a dark marketplace where these innocent animals might have met a grim fate. However, the dogs escaped from the truck and found themselves on the edge of the busy Changshuang Expressway, 17 kilometers away from home, navigating unknown paths in the darkness of night.
Temperatures had dropped below zero degrees Celsius, with the cold wind harshly blowing. Despite this, the dogs did not leave one another’s side. Video footage shows them walking and stopping together. One German Shepherd was injured and stumbling while the other six circled him protectively, waiting and walking together. No dog attempted to run off alone. A small but determined Corgi led the group, while the others guarded the wounded German Shepherd, moving as one.
Their unspoken promise was clear: ‘No dog left behind.’
On the night of March 17, a driver witnessed this scene. Seven dogs were walking in a single line along the highway, their eyes revealing both fear and courage. The driver recorded the video and posted it on social media, where it has gathered over 230 million views.
In the video, dogs of various breeds including Golden Retriever, Labrador, German Shepherd, and Pekingese walk along the busy highway. The Corgi leading them was identified by Chinese media as ‘Dapang,’ meaning ‘Big Fatty.’
Tong Tong, a volunteer with a stray dog rescue center, was deeply concerned after seeing the video. Witnessing the dogs’ struggle in subzero temperatures without food or water, she began knocking on doors in villages and posting flyers to locate the missing dogs.
“On the morning of March 18, I woke up to snow falling in Changchun,” Tong Tong said in a video posted by the rescue center. “I was especially worried about those seven dogs, fearful that they might not have gotten any food or water. So, I launched a drone to help search.”
How did the dogs go missing?
On March 19, news arrived that the dogs had returned home. Three of the dogs belonged to a woman living in a village near Changchun. She shared with media that she had been searching for the dogs for four days and was beginning to lose hope. However, she was overjoyed when Dapang returned home on March 18. Later, searching neighboring villages, she found the remaining dogs in another village.
It is suspected the dogs were stolen for the meat trade, as consumption of dog meat still persists in parts of China. Others speculate they may have been kidnapped to be sold as pets or for other unintended reasons, or possibly simply lost.
One Vivo user commented, “Watching this video moved me to tears. Dogs are mankind’s eternal companions.”
This event has deeply touched many, renewing conversations and debates about the love for dogs and their loyalty. The seven dogs demonstrated courage and solidarity by sticking together through cold weather, busy roads, and exhaustion, refusing to abandon one another and finding their way home.
From The Guardian
