CHINA: Seven dogs in China have captured the hearts of netizens after banding together to escape a suspected dog thief and making a 17km journey back to their owners.
The dogs, which belonged to different households, had allegedly been taken from their homes in Jilin and were believed to be bound for sale to a dog meat shop.
Among them were a German Shepherd, a golden retriever and a corgi, seen travelling as a group along the Changshuang Expressway, according to Chinese media reports.
A video uploaded to YouTube showed the dogs huddling close and walking as a pack along the road shoulder as vehicles passed.
They were later spotted crossing a field, with netizens recognising them from the widely shared footage.
Local reports indicated the dogs travelled for two days and covered more than 17km.
Netizens and animal rescue volunteers followed their movements through social media updates before eventually locating and returning them to their owners.
A rescue volunteer said the dogs arrived home safely three days later and were found to be healthy, with only minor injuries after examinations.
Their owners expressed relief at their return, grateful the animals did not end up in a slaughterhouse.
