Two incidents that were reported in Dongguan last week showed the contrasting attitudes towards dogs in Chinese society.

One dog owner lost his life after running out into the middle of the road to tend to his dog that had been hit by a car on August 31, Guangzhou Daily reported.

A recreation of the moment in which both Li and his dog lost their lives, courtesy of Google Images

Traffic police in Huangjiang Village say that the security camera footage of the incident suggests that the 30 year-old owner, Mr. Li from Guizhou, was so overcome with grief that he didn’t think to get off the road while he tried to help his dog.

Mr. Li’s love for his companion is becoming much more common. As was written in The Atlantic earlier this year, China’s burgeoning dog culture is associated with the rise of young urban elites with disposable income. China’s pet industry has really begun to take off in the past five years. And according to market research firm Euromonitor International, 2013 will be another year of healthy growth.

However, The Atlantic article also points out that, in a developing country that struggles to feed its own people, animal rights tends to be low on the totem pole of core issues. Despite rising opposition to dog eating throughout the land, the selling of dog meat and the illegal kidnapping of dogs for for food is still quite common.

Such an incident occurred in broad daylight in Dongguan’s Dalang village when two men bundled two dogs into the back of a white van before speeding off on August 7, as Yangcheng Evening News reported.

Such incidents are said to become more frequent at this time of year when hot pot becomes more popular.

The men get ready to steal the dogs at the embroidery factory in Dalang, image courtesy of Yangcheng Evening News

The owner of the embroidery factory of which they were guard dogs saw the men cutting off the ropes the dogs were tied to but couldn’t stop them in time.

A similar incident occurred in Liuqing Village on September 6 when two men armed with iron bars stole four large, expensive dogs, including a Tibetan Mastiff. Tibetan Mastiffs have been known to fetch US$1.5 million but this particular one may well end up in a hot pot restaurant.

The struggle between China’s dog eaters and dog lovers is set to rage on.