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Viral story of 7 stolen dogs trekking 17km across busy highways to escape meat traders in China is fake
A passerby filmed the group of dogs walking together in a coordinated formation along a highway on March 16.
A corgi appeared to lead the group, frequently turning back to check on the other dogs (Image source: @dom_lucre/X)
A group of seven stolen dogs took over the Internet after they allegedly managed to escape their captors and found their way back home. According to global media reports, the dogs were stolen from northeastern China, travelled nearly 17 kilometres, navigating busy highways, before reuniting with their owners. However, the Internet’s beloved story turned out to be fake.
According to the South China Morning Post, a passerby filmed the group of dogs walking together in a coordinated formation along a highway on March 16.
The dogs had been taken from the same village by individuals allegedly connected to a dog meat operation, and later escaped from a moving vehicle, the report added. The viral video showed the dogs walking together alongside the highway.
Now, CNN reported that all seven dogs belonged to villagers living a few kilometres from the highway where they were spotted walking together. After the Chinese state-owned City Evening News tracked down the owners, they found that the story is far from what the Internet believed. The German Shepherd, who was reportedly injured, was in heat and attracted other dogs.
The report added that most dogs in the village were free-roaming and often disappeared for a while during their heat cycle. The seven dogs, however, have returned home, with the dog on heat out on leash until its cycle ends.
Watch here:
🔥🚨BREAKING: These Seven dogs were stolen from their owners and escaped from an illegal transport truck and started heading back home right after.
They walked over 10 miles together with the corgi leading from the front into highways and fields, they are now back home. pic.twitter.com/xH60BFofmB
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 23, 2026
The video has since gone viral, garnering a wave of reactions. “People please put air tags on your dogs. amazon even sells the holders or collars. You don’t deserve a dog nor do you love your dog if you don’t protect them. You’re welcome. I have them on my dogs. No excuses,” a user wrote.
“Ten miles of determination, teamwork and a corgi leading the charge, home truly is where the heart is,” another user commented. “corgi leading the escape is the most dogs of war energy. loyalty over everything,” a third user reacted.
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