A pet dog in China escaped from a boarding centre after being startled by fireworks, was struck by a car, and was subsequently eaten by highway workers.

During the Lunar New Year, a woman boarded her dog, Yi Yi, at the Little Tail Pet Boarding Centre in Shenzhen, southern China, while holidaying in the Maldives.

On January 29, four-year-old Yi Yi, a native hunting dog, was startled by fireworks, escaped from the centre, and went missing.

The boarding centre, which offers six to eight hours of outdoor playtime in a fenced grassy area, had allowed Yi Yi to be unleashed that day with the owner’s approval.

After Yi Yi went missing, the owner offered a 50,000-yuan (US$6,800) reward to find her beloved dog, describing Yi Yi as the most important member of her family.

That same day, the owner’s investigation revealed that Yi Yi had wandered onto a Shenzhen highway, was hit by a car, and left on the roadside.