A police officer bludgeoned a golden retriever to death in public after the animal attacked two pedestrians.
The cop, who was not named, is said to have used a thick wooden pole and slowly beat the dog to death over the course of three hours as passers-by watched on in horror.
The animal was tied to a barrier in the middle of the street when the policeman struck it, in an incident caught in distressing footage.
Authorities from Changsha, capital of Hunan Province in central China, said they had not been equipped with tranquilisers and did not want to shoot the dog because they feared the ricocheting bullet might injury a pedestrian.
The owner of the distressed dog could not be found.
Footage being shared on social media shows the golden retriever with a lead and collar having been tied to a bollard, but the officer strikes the animal anyway, causing it to cry loudly.
Officer Peng Yong, who is a colleague of the officer in question, said they were called after two victims named Mr Leng and Mr Zhu reported being attacked by the animal.
CCTV footage showed the golden retriever, whose owner could not be located despite the length of the attack, appearing to bite Mr Leng, 66, and Mr Zhu, 23 as they walked past it.
Mr Leng suffered a minor injury to his knee, while Mr Zhu's clothing was slightly damaged.
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Animal rights activists have been up and arms over what they believed was overly cruel treatment of the dog.
Some have even held a candlelight vigil for the animal on the spot where it was beaten to death.
Changsha police said their actions were in accordance with official policy, and the dog was killed to prevent the potential spread of rabies.
The owner of golden retriever has yet to release a statement.