BEIJING – A celebrity dog in central China, with more than 1.5 million followers on social media, was stolen and slaughtered as the alleged thief mistook it for a stray.

The dog’s owner is now seeking justice and has highlighted major gaps in the country’s legal protections for pets.

The eight-year-old Border Collie was known as Chutou, and was famous for his intelligence and energy.

It was owned by Guo, a travel influencer from China’s Henan province, news outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

In several photographs and videos on mainland social media, Chutou was seen accompanying its owner on years of journeys across multiple regions in China, ranging from snowy mountains to deserts.

Often, viral clips showed Chutou guarding Guo outside his tent at night.

The dog was bought by the travel influencer from a street vendor for over 2,000 yuan (S$569) in 2018. At that time, the puppy was three months old, according to Fengmian News.

The incident took place when Guo recently went on a solo road trip in Georgia and left Chutou with his parents at home.

On May 11, Guo’s father noticed that the dog was missing from the family fields. Later on, the family found out through surveillance footage that two strangers took Chutou away on an electric bike.

After hearing him, Guo decided to cut short his trip and came back to China to look out for his pet.

Within a few weeks, Guo was able to identify the man accused of stealing the dog. After locating the person, he offered him 10,000 yuan and requested to return the dog.

The alleged thief later told Guo that he mistook Chutou for a stray and claimed that ...