Homeward bound: Seven dogs stolen in China make incredible 17km trek home after escape

A pack of seven dogs that went missing in China have gone viral after a video emerged of them walking more than 17km back home to their village.

The video, which has clocked up more than 230million views, shows the dogs walking along the highway in Changchun, the capital of China’s north-east Jilin province, where temperatures drop below 0C overnight.

The group, composed of Corgis, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds, had been snatched from three homes in a village.

According to the South China Post, the dogs were believes stolen to be turned into meat, but managed to chew through their cage and escape the van where they were being held.

In the video, the dogs can be seen forming a block around an injured German Shepherd who was reportedly hurt during the escape.

They are led on the long journey home by a Corgi who has been identified in Chinese media as Dapang, or “big fatty”.

One onlooker told Chinese outlet Dahe Daily: “They resemble a band of little brothers in distress, moving in unison – nothing like stray dogs.”

Three of the dogs, including Dapang, belong to a woman who lives in a village near Changchun.

She told Chinese media that she had been looking for her dogs for four days, and was on the point of giving up, when Dapang wandered into the house on 18 March.

The owner then searched in nearby villages and found the other dogs, who had been taken in by another villager.

It has not been confirmed why the dogs were taken but it was reported they were kidnapped for dog meat, which is still eaten as a delicacy in some parts of China.

However, it is thought they could also have been stolen to be resold as pets or for other purposes, or have wandered off by themselves.