State media: Dog in forlorn search for owner after China landslide

BEIJING: A droopy-eyed white dog apparently looking for its owner has been found in the rubble of a landslide that buried a village in southwest China, a state broadcaster said Sunday.

A rescuer was seen on Englishlanguage channel CGTN trying to coax the downcast canine away from the mound of rocks and earth that has left more than 100 people missing in Xinmo, Sichuan province, but the animal refused to leave.

“Anyone here? Little doggie, where is your owner?” a rescuer could be heard saying off camera as the dog sits with its ears dropped down.

“Dog waiting for its owner refuses to leave rubble, capturing the hearts of a nation after # Sichuan # landslide,” CGTN said on its Twitter account.

Hundreds of people on China's Twitter-like Weibo social media website expressed concern for the dog, with at least one person offering to adopt it.

“So this shows dogs really do have love,” one commenter said. Others took the opportunity to criticise people who eat dog in the wake of a notorious Chinese dog meat festival held in the southern city Yulin this week.

“Refuse dog meat! This is so heartbreaking. He is staying at home guarding his owner!” another person wrote.

The dog's appearance was a bright spot in an increasingly bleak search for people who have been missing since heavy rain brought down the side of a mountain on Saturday, crushing more than 60 homes.

At least 15 bodies have been pulled from the rubble while only three survivors have been found. — AFP