A woman in China had her dog adopted by a man who threatened to butcher it as a way to extort money from her.
Chen, a woman from Shenzhen in southern China, decided to have her dog adopted as she could not spend time with him. She reportedly posted an adoption notice on a second-hand trading platform, where she met the man who promised to care for him in his home in Huizhou city.
He allegedly promised to send her videos of Duobao adapting in the new home. However, Chen received a text message from the man the next day, saying he sold Duobao to a butcher shop in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He demanded 5,000 yuan (approximately $719) in exchange for the dog’s safe return.
“You lied about you being a dog lover, didn’t you?” Chen reportedly asked the man. “I’m not sure if I can redeem Duobao after paying you, give me some time.”
“I don’t need the dog anymore,” the man replied. “You don’t have that much time.”
Chen did not pay the ransom. She decided to go to the man’s apartment, but there was no sign of the man or her dog. She reported the incident to the police last week and was told that she was not the first victim of the man’s pet adoption scam.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
The scammer admitted to selling Duobao to a dog peddler, but he denied extorting Chen, according to The Paper.
“The dog is mine as I adopted it, it’s normal to sell it for money,” he said.
“The 8.8 yuan sent by the man is a gift rather than being a regular payment for a deal as the amount is far lower than the dog’s market price. When the man threatened to sell the dog to a meat shop, Chen was entitled to ask for its return,” Chai Xin, a lawyer from Dentons Law Firm, told Jimu News.
The incident has sparked outrage on Chinese social media, with some netizens saying that the man has no conscience.
“I hope Duobao is OK. I hope the blackmailer will be severely punished,” one person said.
“The man adopted Duobao so easily, but isn’t there any legal procedure for pet adoption?” another person wrote.
People in China can easily adopt pets after registration with the local government.
There are an estimated 30 million dogs slaughtered each year for human consumption across the globe. About 10 million of these slaughters occur in mainland China, according to the Humane Society International.
Featured Image via The Paper
