There has been a rash of dog thefts from pet owners in Beijing, and now a brazen stealing of one man’s seeing eye dog has sparked an outcry in China. 47 year old Tian Fengbo had an accident and was left blind as a result. He had a specially trained black Labrador named Qiauqiau, who served as a friend and companion.
Fengbo runs a chain of massage parlors. An assistant was walking the dog when men in a grey van pulled up and snatched the dog. He said the license plate was from a neighboring village but they did not get the numbers. Fengbo has been distressed without his friend and has had trouble eating and sleeping, yet remains hopeful for Qiauqiau’s return.
In the US, dogs that are stolen, usually wind up as bait in dog fighting rings. Dogs stolen in China will most likely being going into the meat trade. This isn’t the first time a seeing eye dog has been stolen and sold for meat in China.
No dog should be used for meat but so much work and time goes into training service dogs, so the public has rallied behind Fengbo. He is hopeful that his dog will be recovered since there is video of the van that stole his dog.
This, just months before the horrid Yulin dog meat festival in China where between 10,000–15,000 dogs are consumed every year.
Now if they would just stop using dogs for a food source, and especially stealing people’s pets and service dogs for their meat.
UPDATE:
GOOD NEWS! Thanks to all of the police and media attention Qiaoqiao was returned to his human! Nobody saw who returned the dog but she came running up to Fengbo and his family as they were preparing to go out searching for her again. She had a note attached to her that read, “Please forgive us.”
Mr. Fengbo said that Qiaoqiao seemed depressed at first but is returning to her happy self. I can’t imagine the horror she’s been through but am so happy she’s back home where she belongs.
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