For eight years, Chutou, and 8 year old border collie, went everywhere with Guo, a travel influencer from Henan. China. Snow-capped mountains. Desert highways. Remote campsites where Chutou stood guard through the night so his owner could sleep. Together, they built a life on the road, and along the way amassed an audience of over a million people who followed their journey.

 

Then, in early May 2026, Guo left for a solo trip, and while he was gone, Chutou went missing.

 

What followed was every pet owner's worst nightmare: surveillance footage of strangers loading his dog onto a bike, a frantic flight home, two weeks of desperate searching, before finally, the devastating truth. Chutou had been sold to a restaurant for 180 yuan. Less than thirty dollars. And he was already gone.

 

In this episode, we dig into the details of this tragic case, while also looking into the legal and cultural ramifications of the dog meat industry in China, and why it still persists to this day.

 

NOTE: If you are someone who is especially sensitive to stories of pet abuse and mistreatment, you might want to tune away from this episode.

 

If you would like to get updates or reach out to the Stranger Danger crew, you can follow on Instagram @strangerdangerpodcastsg, hang out in our Discord, or send us an email at [email protected]

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