Loyal dog waits for his owner at a Wuhan hospital, unaware he had died of COVID-19 three months ago
An incredibly loyal dog waited inside the lobby of a Wuhan hospital for its owner, who sadly lost the battle with coronavirus three months ago.
Xiao Bao, or Little Treasure, is a seven-year-old male mongrel who proved that we truly don’t deserve dogs. In February, Xiao Bao arrived at Wuhan Taikang Hospital in Central China’s Hubei Province with his elderly owner at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tragically, the patient died of the virus after only five days, as Mail Online reports. However, the loyal mongrel refused to leave the hospital, as Zhu Youzhen, a cleaner at Taikang Hospital, says.
Poor Xiao Bao had no idea his owner had passed away and wouldn’t be returning.
The pupper waited at the hospital’s lobby for more than three months.
Luckily, the staff looked after him.
Last month, when Wuhan lifted its lockdown restrictions, and the hospital supermarket reopened, the shopkeeper Wu Cuifen started caring for Little Treasure. Ms Wu explains:
“I first noticed the little dog when I returned to work in the middle of April. I called him ‘Xiao Bao’. That’s the name I gave him. They told me Xiao Bao’s owner, a pensioner, was admitted with the coronavirus. Then he passed away, but Xiao Bao didn’t know and just stayed in the hospital looking for him.”
The loyalty of the poor dog melted Ms Wu’s heart. She continues:
“I grew familiar with the dog and later brought him into the shop. Every morning when I opened up, Xiao Bao would be there waiting for me. He saw me off at the end of each day.”
According to Ms Wu, Xiao Bao didn’t want to leave the hospital. What’s more, even when they intentionally dropped the pupper somewhere far away, Little Treasure would make his way back to the hospital and patiently wait for his owner to return.
Last week, on May 20th, Taikang Hospital started admitting regular patients. Unfortunately, some of them have complained about Xiao Bao wandering in the corridors. After the staff received the complains, they contacted the Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association, whose members took Xiao Bao in.
The animal association took care of Xiao Bao and prepared him for adoption. Du Fan, the CEO, shares they are currently reviewing the applications from people who have offered to foster Xiao Bao.
