A loyal stray dog has moved thousands of people in China after guarding a dying friend in busy traffic.

The devoted animal was spotted staying by the side of its seriously wounded playmate which had reportedly been hit by a car.

The protective pooch had dashed towards the injured dog through a crowd of onlookers after seeing it being mowed down, it is said.

Footage shows the devoted stray dog sitting next to its dying playmate (left) and looking around for help (right) on Monday night on a busy road in southern China’s Guizhou Province

The incident took place Monday night in the city of Kaili in southern China’s Guizhou Province, reported China News.

The two dogs were best friends and often played together in the neighbourhood, the article said.

The wounded dog was reported to be a pet belonging to a pensioner.

Footage shows the faithful stray initially sitting about three feet away from its friend which lay in the middle of a road and twitched occasionally.

The dog then walked closer to its playmate and turned its head around, seemingly looking for help from passers-by.

Eyewitnesses told reporters that the dog was unwilling to leave its friend and constantly whined.

‘The dog walked around its friend in circle non-stop. It was heart-breaking [to see it],’ one driver who witnessed the incident told Pear Video.

The wounded pet dog later died and was buried by local animal lovers. Its elderly owner has been notified of the incident.

The video of the event has become a trending topic on Twitter-like Weibo and been viewed around two million times.

Web users have praised the devotion of the stray dog.

One commentator said: ‘Poor thing. The little stray dog. [It] finally had a playmate, but saw it being run over.’

Another viewer wrote: ‘Dogs have emotions too, and understand life and death.’

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