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These Brave Dogs Are Moving the Internet to Tears

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  March 24, 2026 11:15 AM

This is something straight out of Hollywood. In China, seven dogs who were stolen from their owners not only escaped their captors, but the group traveled together for more than ten miles to get back home.

They were led by the corgi, but that's not all. One of the dogs, a German Shepherd, was injured. The dogs not only protected their wounded companion, but the corgi appeared to stop to check on him and take care of the group. It took them two days to get home.

Here's more from Dextero:

Clips of the dog squad went viral on March 16, when a passerby spotted the canines moving in formation along a highway and filmed the moment. The clip quickly spread online, with viewers noting how the group appeared to be extremely coordinated.

According to the South China Morning Post, the dogs were taken by thieves working for a dog meat shop and escaped from a moving truck. A Corgi led the group and repeatedly turned to check on the others, while the group surrounded an injured German shepherd in the middle. Other breeds, including Golden Retrievers, Labradors, and a Pekingese, followed closely behind.

More footage later showed the dogs crossing nearby fields, still sticking together and ignoring attempts from people to guide them to safety.

Local rescuers later confirmed all seven dogs came from the same village, where they were known to roam together and had formed strong bonds. Volunteers tracked their movements as the group continued heading in the same direction, and by March 19, all seven dogs had finally reunited with their owners.

In China, stealing a dog is treated as a criminal offense, with penalties ranging from fines to prison time depending on the animal’s value.

I hope the monsters who stole these dogs, to turn them into food, are punished to the fullest extent of the law.

This is also true. If I am in a different city, I am completely lost without my iPhone compass and GPS.

This will make $2 billion at the box office.

It pulls at your heartstrings.

It will win all the Academy Awards.

This made me laugh out loud. That corgi is a hero. I understand now why Queen Elizabeth surrounded herself with corgis for her entire life.

The corgi's name is apparently "Big Fat" and the memes are incredible.

I'll defer to corgi owners on that one.

This story resonates so much because it’s not just about seven dogs finding their way home — it’s about loyalty, instinct, and sticking together when it matters most. No politics, no noise, no agenda. It's just a beautiful, uplifting reminder that sometimes the purest form of courage and leadership comes from the most unexpected places — even a corgi named “Big Fat.”