Representative image of a pet dog.
Credit: iStock Photo
A pet dog in China was eaten by a highway company employees after it escaped from a boarding centre, startled by fireworks, before getting hit by a car on a highway.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the dog, Yi Yi, was left at a boarding centre named Little Tail Pet Boarding Centre in China's Shenzhen by its owner during the Lunar New Year.
Four-year-old Yi Yi on January 29 went missing as it escaped from the centre startled by the fireworks.
Yi Yi's owner had allowed it to be unleashed at the centre, which offers outdoor playtime of 6-8 hours, the day it went missing.
According to SCMP, after it went missing, the dog's owner described Yi Yi as the most important member of her family and put up a reward of 50,000 yuan for anyone who finds it.
According to probe, Yi Yi was hit by a car after it wandered off on a Shenzhen highway and left injured on the roadside.
Video footage revealed that two highway patrolling officers picked up Yi Yi and took it to their company's kitchen.
According to the publication's report, the dog was cooked and ate by eight highway employees.
Yi Yi's owner who fell sick after knowing about its death, posted on social media saying, "Yi Yi was hit by a car while running home. I’m sorry I could not protect you. I will always remember you."
According to SCMP which cited another Chinese publication, a representative of the highway company said that the two patrol officers had found the dog which had its tongue hanging out showing no signs of life.
The person also said, "The two workers followed regulations by taking photos on-site and uploading them to the company’s system. They assumed it was a stray dog and, since it was already dead, decided to handle it privately."
The highway expressing regret assured that strict action would be taken against the employees involved in the incident.
According to the publication's report, Director of Henan Zejin Law Firm, Fu Jian said that the boarding centre should compensate Yi Yi's owner for her financial as well as emotional loss.
The highway workers are also liable for compensation as they had violated the owner's property rights.
According to SCMP, Yi Yi's owner had on February 8 in a social media post, said that the highway company and its employees have breached food safety laws and are under investigation.
The owner also asserted that she is planning to file a case and will donate all the compensation received by her.