A guide dog that was stolen from a blind masseur in Beijing was returned with a note from the dognappers asking its owner to "please forgive us".

The 7-year-old black Labrador, named Qiaoqiao, was stolen by an organized gang of dog thieves on Monday, the Beijing Public Security Bureau said on Tuesday.

The dog's owner, Tian Fengbo, 47, from Shunyi district, said a worker at Tian's massage establishment was walking Qiaoqiao on the street on Monday morning when the gang approached and took the dog.