A beloved dog with a massive social media following in China has been reportedly taken from a farm, killed, and served in a local restaurant. The dog, named Chutou, was the loyal companion of Chinese social media influencer Guo, who shared their adventures on the popular platform Douyin.

Chutou, an eight-year-old border collie, had gained over 1.5 million followers for his appearances in Guo’s videos, where he was often seen protecting his owner. However, tragedy struck when Guo left Chutou with his parents while he embarked on a solo trip to Georgia. Surveillance footage captured two individuals snatching the dog and fleeing on an e-bike on May 11.

After a 15-day search, Guo located the alleged dognapper and offered a reward of around £1,100 for Chutou’s safe return. The dognapper claimed he thought Chutou was a stray, but Guo refuted this, pointing out that the dog was wearing a collar and a GPS tracker at the time of the incident.