A loyal golden retriever has been roaming the streets of a Chinese province with a signboard in its mouth to look for his best friend allegedly stolen by a suspected dog thief.
Two-year-old Mao Mao has been in low spirits and lost more than 10 pounds in weight since his favourite playmate, Dou Dou, was snatched in late December, according to Mao Mao’s owner.
The dog owner told MailOnline that Mao Mao couldn’t stop tearing while walking around with the ‘missing dog’ note.
Mao Mao’s owner, Shao Xinsheng, told MailOnline that Mao Mao couldn’t stop tearing while walking around with a ‘missing dog’ note to look for his favourite playmate Dou Dou in the Chinese province of Henan. Dou Dou had allegedly been stolen by a suspected dog snatcher
Mao Mao lives in the county of Changyuan in central China’s Henan Province with his owner, Shao Xinsheng.
Mr Shao keeps another one-year-old golden retriever, called Er Pao.
Mao Mao and Er Pao grew up playing with Dou Dou, a pet belonging to one of Mr Shao’s friends.
Mr Shao said Mao Mao and Dou Dou were particularly close, adding Dou Dou was ‘particularly clever’.
On December 23, Dou Dou was taken away by a stranger while being chained to a tricycle outside a hospital, Mr Shao said. The one-year-old pet had been left there by his owner who was going to the hospital for a medical appointment.
Dou Dou (right, seen before going missing) was believed to have been abducted by a stranger (left) while being chained to a tricycle outside a hospital in Henan Province on December 23
A picture supplied by Mr Shao shows Dou Dou’s owner crying inconsolably after losing her pet. Mr Shao made a ‘missing dog’ notice and is helping Dou Dou’s owner look for the missing dog
Security footage of the incident supplied by Mr Shao shows a golden retriever on the lead being guided to cross a road by a person on a tuk tuk.
Since then, Mr Shao, Mao Mao and Er Pao have been helping Dou Dou’s owner search for the missing pet across Henan Province.
He said that they had visited a major slaughterhouse in the county of Hua in addition to various dog meat markets, including a popular one in the county of Fengqiu.
Wherever they went, Mao Mao would carry a placard reading ‘Dou Dou, please come home’ while walking or sitting on the street to get the locals’ attention.
Mao Mao and Er Pao, Mr Shao’s other pet, grew up playing with Dou Dou (left, the three pictured together). Mao Mao was particular fond of Dou Dou and is helping to find him (right)
To spread the word further, Mr Shao has filmed Mao Mao’s endeavour throughout the process and shared the clips on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
One of those videos, which has gone viral, shows Mao Mao sitting at the back of a pick-up truck holding the sign in a busy market.
Another trending clip shows the dog walking among a group of bystanders, apparently with tears in his eyes.
Mr Shao believed it was a sign that Mao Mao missed Dou Dou.
‘Mao Mao and Er Pao used to be full of energy. They played with Dou Dou all day, nearly every day. But now they are in low spirits and don’t even want to play,’ Mr Shao said.
Even though the owner claimed that Mao Mao had been devastated by the loss of his friend and crying, dogs don’t express their emotions like humans. Their tears are usually caused by health reasons, especially an eye infection.
He condemned the suspected dog snatcher and urged the individual to return Dou Dou. I condemn the thief and urge them not to do immoral things like this in the future,’ the man said
Mr Shao said he, Mao Mao and Er Pao would continue visiting dog meat traders in a bid to find Dou Dou.
He condemned the suspected dog snatcher and urged the individual to return Dou Dou. He said he would pay anyone who can provide leads to the whereabouts of Dou Dou.
‘We raise our furry kids from puppies and have a strong bond with them. They are an inseparable part of us. I condemn the thief and urge them not to do immoral things like this in the future,’ the man said.