Eating dog meat, although considered normal in some parts of China, is generally frowned upon by many and a total nightmare to dog lovers.
Unfortunately, this nightmare came true for one loving dog owner whose dog she gave up for adoption was held ransom by the adopter threatening to sell it to meat traders.
According to South China Morning Post, the Chinese woman, Chen, from Shenzhen first gave her 2-year-old Labrador, Duobao to a man who said he wanted to adopt it as a pet.
However, 2 days after adopting the doggo, the man told Chen that he had sold it to a dog meat shop in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and threatened to have it killed if she did not pay him RM3,200 (5,000 yuan).
He gave Chen less than a day to pay him in exchange for Duobao’s safe return.
âYou donât like dogs, right?â Chen asked the man, who replied, “I don’t need it”.
âIâm not sure whether I can get Duobao back after paying you, please give me a little timeâ, Chen said.
âThere is no time for youâ, the man answered.
Although horrified by the man’s message, Chen did not pay the money. Instead, she went to the man’s apartment to look for Duobao, but found no trace of him or the man apart from some dog cages.
A genuine buyer (?)
Earlier, Chen had decided to give up her dog for adoption because she could not spend enough time with him.
This prompted her to put up an adoption notice on a second-hand trading platform where the man contacted her.
Chen said she was convinced by the manâs promise to care for the dog at his home in the nearby city of Huizhou. To gain Chenâs trust the man sent a virtual red envelope containing RM5.70 (8.8 yuan) as a goodwill gesture on WeChat.
However, shortly after the dog was taken Chen received no further information from the man, despite having promised to send her videos of Duobao to see how the dog was adapting in the new home.
It was not till the next day when Chen received the alarming message from the man about Duobao having been sold to meat traders.
Getting the authorities involved
When Chen called the local police, she was told that she was not the first victim of the manâs pet adoption scam.
According to Chinese news outlet Jimu, the man acknowledged that he had sold Duobao to a dog peddler a few days after adopting it.
However, he denied that he had tried to extort Chen.
âThe dog is mine as I adopted it. Itâs normal to sell it for moneyâ, the man said.
Lawyer Chai Xin from Dentons Law Firm told Jimu, âThe RM5.70 sent by the man is a gift rather than being a regular payment for a deal as the amount is far lower than the dogâs market price. When the man threatened to sell the dog to a meat shop, Chen was entitled to ask for its returnâ.
The experience must have been so traumatic to Chen!
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