Tragic moment woman weeps over dead dog 'murdered by neighbours'

A still of Leewen Zhang weeping over the body of her dog, Julie, after it was poisoned. She is now calling for improved animal rights in China (Picture: Leewen Zhang/Facebook)

This is the tragic moment a woman weeps over her dead dog after it was allegedly murdered by “evil” neighbours.

A heartbreaking video, posted by Leewen Zhang, shows her sprawled over the body of her beloved golden retriever Julie after she was poisoned.

Ms Zhang claimed a neighbour slipped rat poison into chicken meat, which was then left on a lawn which the dog liked to play on.

It happened in Chungking, a city in south-west China. Ms Zhang said Julie was in agonising pain for hours before she died.

In a Facebook post which has been shared more than 46,000 times, Ms Zhang said: “She is my best friend and baby. I love her so much.”

A still of Leewen Zhang weeping over the body of her dog, Julie, after it was poisoned. She is now calling for improved animal rights in China (Leewen Zhang/Facebook)

She had only been in her neighbourhood for five months, she wrote, “but have already heard a lot of people hate dogs here.

“They curse dogs, they make groups to discuss how to kill dogs. What they think is, the environment should only be for kids, not for any dogs.

“A neighbour used to abuse me and threatened me over four times that he will kill my dog and all the golden retrievers. I even once called the police.”

Julie had only just turned eight when she died earlier this month. Explaining how she was killed, Ms Zhang said: “Because evil people wrapped the rat poison into chicken meat and spread on the lawn Julie loves to go rolling over.

“She ate one little bite, and died in a few hours with huge pain and suffering. I could never forget her scream, her cry and her fight for surviving.”

Leewen Zhang had Julie for eight years before she was killed earlier this month (Leewen Zhang/Facebook)

Ms Zhang has pledged to campaign for better animal protection laws in China.

“I am still in deep grief,” she said, “[but] now I am ready to speak for Julie and for all the animals.

“The police told me, there’s no law for protecting animals, they told me hundreds of dogs die by poison every day. So they have nothing to do with it.

“I told them: ‘There’s no animal laws in China now, doesn’t mean there will not be in the future! Every life is equal and precious. But it’s NOT in China! This is not right! This must be changed!

“Julie’s death is sacred. I will not surrender by the current situation. No matter how many difficulties ahead, or even the devils want to kill me. I will keep fighting for animal rights.”