A faithful dog in China has reportedly waited for its owner to return home for three years after its owner deserted it without saying good-bye.

The pet, nicknamed Hei Zi, is said to have waited day and night in a residential complex where it and its owner used to live in the city of Xi’an.

The Plott Hound belonged to a Korean expat who moved back to South Korea in 2019 and left the dog behind, a neighbour told reporters.

The neighbour, named Wang Huili, urged the public to help Hei Zi after community officers repeatedly threatened to catch the dog, deeming it as a stray.

She also said that some locals, who were scared of dogs, complained about Hei Zi to authorities. They urged officials to remove the animal from the neighbourhood.

However, Wang stressed that many people in the estate had shown sympathy towards Hei Zi and treated it as their own pet.

‘We would give meat or other food we bought to Hei Zi instead of our own dogs,’ Wang told Pear Video.

‘Hei Zi has become a link between us neighbours, who otherwise would not speak to each other much,’ she added.

A girl told Pear: ‘This dog is very loyal. It has waited for its owner in this estate all these years since [the owner] left.

‘[It] has never thought of leaving this estate or finding a new owner. It’s hoping that one day its owner would come back to get it.’

Locals have built a small tent in a patch of bamboo in the estate for Hei Zi to rest in. They would also leave food outside the tent.

They said that Hei Zi would appear in front of a statue in the centre of the estate every morning at 10 and every afternoon at four, expecting its owner to come back.

Residents described the dog as ‘clever’, ‘sensitive’ and ‘gentle’.

‘It never picks a fight with other dogs or chases children,’ said Wang.

Animal lovers have taken it in turns to look after the dog.

Last year, they donated 5,000 yuan (£568) to Hei Zi so that the vet could remove parasites in the dog.

They are now hoping to arrange another physical check-up for Hei Zi at the vet and find a new owner for it. That way, Hei Zi will be able to have a pet’s license and live a care-free life.

One neighbour, known by her surname Xie, told local Hua Shang Daily that some of the neighbours had agreed to complete all necessary paperwork for Hei Zi ‘as long as it can live a peaceful life in our estate’.

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