Detective hired to find dog

In order to find her missing pooch, a woman in Zhengzhou, Henan Province posted a whopping 20,000-yuan ($3,168) reward, paid 520 yuan ($82) per day in order to post advertisements and even hired a private detective.

The dog, nicknamed "Rice Ball", went missing when its owner, surnamed Chen, went out for a walk on the evening of December 5 in her residential district.

"Rice Ball was a gift from my daughter, who is in college now," Chen said, her eyes brimming over with tears.

"She saved up for months to buy the precious little puppy, and now it's gone missing!"

At first, Chen wanted to place advertisements on TV, but was rebuffed by local stations.

She then turned to newspapers, where, in her desperation, she posted a massive, full-color spread.

After days passed with no sign of Rice Ball, however, the woman decided to pull out the big guns.

"I decided to hire a private detective," she said. "I didn't know what else I could do."

After being rejected by one detective, a second one accepted her offer - despite the fact that the fee, 3,000 yuan ($473) upon recovering the missing subject, was as much as she'd pay to find a person.

"Rice Ball is like a baby who can never grow up," she said. "My affection cannot be measured by money."

To this date, however, Rice Ball remains at large.