Slaughter of stolen pet dog angers Chinese

A stolen pet dog slaughtered alive in the street in northeastern China has angered the public and raised concerns about animal abuse in the country.

A Golden Retriever named Maomao was recently stolen in Shuangyashan City, Heilongjiang Province and swiftly sold to a local restaurant. The restaurant owner then cut the dog's legs off and skinned it while it was alive, according to Heilongjiang TV Station.

A Sina Weibo microblog user named "Yequan"said his friend saw the bloody scene and offered 500 yuan (81 US dollars) to buy the dog, but the owner refused.

A picture of Maomao lying in blood surfaced on Weibo last week and spurred a wave of condemnation, with angry netizens saying it was brutal and inhumane.

A group of angry citizens confronted the restaurant owner following the incident, according to dbw.cn, a local news website. The owner removed his restaurant plaque and closed the restaurant following the spat, the website said, citing an insider surnamed Zhang.

The three-year-old dog gave birth less than two months ago and was stolen on Nov. 26 from the owner's house.

With a lack of specific laws, frequent stories of dogs being stolen and butchered are reported.

In late November, a gang of ten stood trial in central China's Hunan Province for stealing dogs using poison darts before selling them to remote dog-meat restaurants.

In Yulin City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local residents celebrate a controversial dog-meat festival each year by butchering dogs on the streets and eating the meat alongside lychee fruit, believing the practice keeps illness at bay. This year's event drew mounting protests from animal welfare groups and pet owners, who urge the local government to ban the long-standing tradition.