Escape and the journey home
Early reports suggested the dogs may have been stolen and transported in a truck before escaping by breaking out of a cage. After escaping, the dogs reportedly traveled around 17 kilometers over two days, crossing highways and rural areas, all the while staying together.
Footage and witness accounts, according to social media, suggested the dogs even slowed to stay with an injured German Shepherd, with the rest of the pack surrounding and protecting him as they continued their journey.
The group included several breeds such as, a Corgi, Golden Retriever, Labrador, German Shepherd and Pekingese. All of them were eventually confirmed to be pets from the same village and had known each other before they disappeared.
What really happened, theft or loitering?
While many early reports and viral posts claimed the dogs had been stolen and escaped from a truck, authorities later clarified that the situation may have been less dramatic.
According to The Guardianon March 21, authorities from the Jilin Provincial Bureau of Culture and Tourism stated that the dogs had not escaped due to mistreatment, but had instead escaped on their own, drawn by a German Shepherd who was in heat and was known to wander for days at a time.
State media later commented on the online reaction to the incident, saying it highlighted problems with the way information is spread online, where facts and speculation are often mixed and unverified assumptions can be quickly accepted as true and widely shared.
How were they found?
Volunteers and local residents helped search for the dogs after the video went viral. Some even used drones to find them, especially because the temperatures were below freezing and people were worried about their survival. Within days, all seven dogs were eventually found and safely reunited with their owners.
