Guide dog recalled after blind couple's Mount Tai climb sparks backlash

A guide dog has been suspended and recalled after a blind couple's rainy climb up Mount Tai in east China drew fierce online criticism over alleged mistreatment.

Fendi, a Labrador trained at the China Guide Dog Training Center's Dalian branch, was pulled from service on Thursday and returned to its training base, according to news portal The Cover. The Dalian Disabled Persons' Federation confirmed it was coordinating the retrieval.

Video filmed on September 17 showed the Beijing couple scaling the mountain's steep stone steps wearing raincoats as Fendi trailed behind, soaked. In one clip, the dog blocked a staircase it misread as an obstacle; its owner tapped it with a cane.

Critics also accused the pair of failing to care for the dog, noting they drank water while ignoring whether it was thirsty. Others said climbing steep stone steps posed serious risks to a guide dog's joints.

The video quickly drew heated debate on social media. "There are only a few hundred guide dogs in the whole country, and they should be cared for, not wasted," one user wrote.

Another commented, "Freedom should not come at the cost of another life's suffering." Others accused the pair of seeking online attention "at the expense of the dog's health".

A tour guide who filmed part of the ascent told reporters that the couple's determination was admirable but added that guides generally advise against bringing dogs onto the perilous section of Mount Tai.

Guide dogs in China are trained at specialized bases and provided free of charge, but their numbers remain limited due to the long and costly training process. There are more than 17 million visually impaired people in China but only about 400 trained guide dogs, according to the report.