An abandoned pooch in East China keeps lonely vigil for its owner beside the highway. Screenshot from btime.com's video

The rescue in East China of a lonely white dog seen multiple times hanging out in the same area of a busy highway has touched the hearts of animal lovers around the country. 

Multiple videos taken by concerned passersby in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, show the pooch still wearing a harness by the highway and at other times lying in a patch of grass beside the road.

Police and animal protection volunteers don't know who owns the dog but surmise it may have been abandoned and is waiting for its master to return, according to a video posted by btime.com.

Netizens were pretty much united in their concern for the dog and condemnation of owners who might have abandoned it by the highway. 

Btime