HEART-wrenching footage shows a loyal dog refusing to leave its owner after she collapsed in the street.

The golden retriever even went in the ambulance after she fainted in Daqing city in China.

In the video, the concerned pooch runs in circles trying to alert people to her lifeless body.

As paramedics carry her into the ambulance, the dog clings onto the stretcher.

Paramedics were so moved by the pet they broke their own rules and allowed it to ride with the owner to hospital.

Doctors even let it sit outside the treatment room in the hospital.

Nurse Yu Jingjing added: "At first, we were afraid to approach the woman directly since the dog is a rather large one.

"However, while the dog was very protective of its owner, it did not show any signs of aggression towards us.

"When we approached the woman lying on the ground, the dog appeared to be happy that we were there to help its owner."

Zhang Jihong, the Daqing People's Hospital head nurse, told The Paper: "'When we saw the patient hugging her dog, we knew we did the right thing by allowing it to tag along."

The video was taken on July 28 in Heilongjiang province.

Pets are usually never allowed in ambulances or the hospital, with staff stressing this was a special case.

Reports suggest the woman had drunk too much the previous night and may have suffered from dehydration that morning.

She was treated and discharged the same day.