The internet fell in love with the viral story of the seven Dogs in China who escaped from dognappers and made it home safely after walking more than 10 kilometers. Unfortunately, the story is allegedly not true.
According to CNN, while the video of the Dogs was real, the story about them escaping was fake. CNN further explains that the Chinese state media has allegedly debunked the narrative.
The story was published on major news outlets including the South China Morning Post which, as of this writing, still has the news article on its site.
Conflicting updates
According to Chinese state media City Evening News, the Dogs didn’t walk too far to get home. They belonged to villagers who lived a few kilometers from the highway.
According to the Dogs’ human guardians, the German Shepherd thought to be injured was actually in heat, which explained why the other Dogs were drawn to her.
Another report by Cover News stated that most of the village’s Dogs disappear for a day or two when they’re in heat.
The Dogs have since returned home, and the German Shepherd is on a leash until her heat cycle ends.
