For 48 hours, a pack of seven furry escapees navigated their surroundings with a disciplined, almost military-like precision.
They raced across snow-laden fields, navigated icy pathways, and strode with determination along the edge of a bustling motorway in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin province in northeastern China.
At the helm of this daring escape was a particularly robust corgi named Dapang, which translates to “Big Fat.”
As the group’s determined leader, Dapang frequently doubled back to ensure the safety and cohesion of his little troop, making certain no member was left behind.
On the periphery, a vigilant golden retriever kept a watchful eye on their surroundings.
The diverse ensemble also included a meticulously groomed yellow Labrador, a Pekingese, two smaller dogs, and at the heart of their formation, an injured German shepherd. Despite her limp, her companions adjusted their pace to accommodate her, surrounding her with protective care.
They are all hungry and cold but, as the now world-famous story goes, they’ve already escaped almost certain death courtesy of a dog-meat truck, and nothing can deter them in their quest to get home.
Certainly not a well-meaning chap called Lu who, on March 16, spots them on the motorway, tries to guide them away from danger and, when that fails, posts a video of their intrepid journey on Douyin (China’s most popular video app) with an appeal for local authorities to intervene.
Seven furry escapees were found moving in military-style formation down the side of a busy motorway in Changchun, the capital of China’s north-east Jilin province (pictured)
The group was led by an extremely stout corgi called Dapang, which means Big Fat, as they hurried across snowy fields and trotted down frozen lanes before reaching the road
Or another passer-by, who spots the dogs making their way through nearby fields and films more footage.
Or the drones that start buzzing above, despatched by volunteers to track the animals and help guide them home.
They just want to reach their quiet village, well outside the roar of the city, where they live with loving families and hang out together on the streets.
And from where, four days previously, we’re told, they were snatched by thieves and destined for provinces where dog meat – served in a winter casserole with ginger, garlic and rice wine – is a local ‘delicacy’.
Thanks to Lu’s video, which has now been viewed more than 230 million times, this plucky pack have become global stars, as people all around the world marvelled at such an epic display of canine courage, doggy determination and resilience.
‘My heart can’t handle this,’ writes Donald Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
‘Get Disney on the phone right now!’ adds another user.
‘That corgi story is the last pure thing in the world right now,’ says a third. ‘If it’s not true I will die.’
Well, sorry to be a wet blanket, but on closer inspection it seems that some of the finer details of this epic tale of canine derring-do don’t quite stack up.
So let’s rewind to March 14, when – according to the South China Morning Post – the seven dogs, owned by three households in the same village, went missing, allegedly snatched by dog-meat thieves and driven off at speed in a lorry.
The Post also alleged that, some time after that, probably on March 16 and by then at least ten miles away, the hounds effected their great escape – somehow managing to break out of their cage, leap from the moving truck on to the Changshuang Expressway and tumble out into the freezing temperatures.
And then amazingly, instead of fleeing in all directions in a panic, they stuck together. Made a plan. And seemingly appointed a surprisingly diminutive leader – little Dapang – to lead them to safety.
To many of us, with his sturdy low body, comedy ears and stumpy legs, Big Fat seems an unlikely leader.
But according to Fenella Nicholas, a dog psychologist, trainer and author of Be More Dog, authority in canine circles has little to do with either bark or bite.
‘Everything for dogs is about energy, so they’ll follow the dog who is calm and assertive – not weak or bossy,’ she says.
China is known as a country that consumes dog meat in parts of the country, with the annual ‘lychee and dog meat’ festival in Yulin every June (Pictured: A vendor who appears t be selling dogs in Yulin city on June 21, 2016)
Their navigation, meanwhile, comes from the extraordinary sense of direction they have inherited from wolves – a mixture of smell (they have 300 million olfactory receptors, compared to our 12 million), spatial memory, visual perception and, according to recent research, even an ability to tap into the Earth’s magnetic field, a built-in compass, like migratory birds and sea turtles.
Whatever they relied on here, it worked. Because, on March 18, so the story goes, a rather slimmer Big Fat wandered back into the kitchen at home, just when her owner was on the point of giving up after a frantic four-day search.
And soon afterwards, volunteers confirmed that all seven dogs had returned home safely after walking for at least ten miles from the highway, with no food or water.
One owner was reportedly beside himself to see them back safe.
‘We are so lucky they came back, not to be eaten,’ he said.
What a story! What a brilliant, epic, unrivalled adventure! No wonder it warmed so many hearts around the world, and sparked a lot of excitable talk about TV shows, dog food sponsorships and a blockbuster film.
But could some people have closed their minds to rival theories attempting to explain the footage? That they’d been stolen to be resold as pets rather than food? Or that they’d just got lost?
Perhaps. Because, well, none of that makes for such a good story. And also because we all know that some Chinese people do eat dogs and many Westerners were happy for the plight of Big Fat the corgi and his friends to shine a light on the illegal dog-meat trade and primitive animal-welfare laws in the country.
They even have an annual ‘lychee and dog meat’ festival in Yulin every June.
Finally, on Tuesday, Chinese media company Ifeng News rather spoiled things, saying: ‘The viral story of “seven puppies escaping a dog thief and trekking 17km back home” has touched a lot of people online, but… the truth is a bit different. No dog thief at all.
‘The owner says a German shepherd in heat simply led a group of village dogs on a “runaway adventure”. They weren’t 17km away either, just under 4km from home. And no injuries, the shepherd was fine.’
So could it all have been wildly exaggerated? Perhaps we’ll never know. And at least the dogs don’t care – they’re just glad to be home and curled up in their beds after all the fuss.
