Loyal dog waits three months in hospital where owner died of COVID-19

In February, a pensioner in Wuhan was admitted to Taikang Hospital after contracting the novel coronavirus. His dog accompanied him to the hospital where it remained waiting for its owner to return. The dog remained at the hospital until he was removed by an animal welfare organisation this month. He will be up for adoption after being treated and sterilised.

The elderly patient in the coronavirus epicentre was accompanied by the small seven-year-old mutt. The hospital staff noticed that the dog was waiting there for its master. Unfortunately, the owner's condition worsened over time. Within five days of his admission to the hospital, he passed away from the viral infection. The COVID-19 victim's family did not come to take the dog so it remained at the hospital.

It is assumed that the staff at the hospital fed and cared for the dog while it continued to wait. Eventually, the shopkeeper of the supermarket on the first floor of the hospital started caring for the dog. Wu Cuifen returned to work at the supermarket on April 13 after lockdown relaxation. She saw the dog in the hospital and eventually started interacting with it.

She found out that the dog's owner died of pneumonia after contracting the virus. According to The Sun, the dog was removed from the hospital and left on the streets on multiple occasions. No matter how far it was taken, it always came back to the hospital to wait in the lobby. Eventually, Wu Cuifen took the dog into her shop. She told the media that she was greeted by the dog every day and seen out of the hospital by it every night. She named him "Xiaobao" which she said meant "little treasure."

The dog's long wait at the hospital came to an end on May 20. Due to complaints from visitors, the hospital was forced to contact an animal rescue organisation. Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association took Xiaobao from the hospital to the shelter. After being examined by the vet, Xiaobao will be sterilised. The association will put Xiaobao in a foster home until it finds a home to call his own for the rest of his life.