How seven lost dogs covered 17km to return home, melting hearts online

Heavy snowfall blanketed Jilin province in northeast China. Amidst bone-chilling cold and uncertainty, seven pet dogs went missing. But when they overcame all obstacles to return home after covering 17 kilometres of rugged terrain, their story rivalled any cinematic tale. Led by a corgi, this extraordinary journey has become a viral sensation.

On March 15, passers-by on a highway in Changchun spotted an unusual sight. A corgi was leading a group of dogs marching in an orderly formation. The group included a golden retriever, a Labrador, a German shepherd and a Pekingese.

After the video spread online, the corgi was nicknamed 'Dapang' or affectionately 'Motoku'. The footage of them trekking hungrily through sub-zero temperatures on icy roads has been viewed over 230 million times.

Local stray dog rescue centre volunteer Tong Tong couldn't stay idle knowing the dogs were in danger. When heavy snow began falling in Changchun on March 18, she grew worried for their safety. Concerned about the animals' welfare in the freezing weather, she went door to door in nearby villages distributing leaflets about the lost dogs.

The owner of Dapang and three other dogs, a woman from a village near Changchun, told Chinese media that she had almost given up after searching for four days when Dapang returned home on March 18. She then found the remaining dogs in a neighbouring village where a resident had taken them in.

It is still unclear why the dogs went missing. Some speculated they were kidnapped for dog meat, others thought they were stolen to be sold as pets, or perhaps they wandered off on their own. Jilin Province's Tourism Bureau suggested they may have followed the German shepherd and lost their way.

State media, however, issued a note of caution amid the story's popularity, reminding that spreading unverified information online is easy and news should be fact-checked. But beyond the debate over truth and rumour, the story of seven friends finding their way home has set a new example of love and compassion for animals.