Loyal Dog Stands Guard Over Dead Friend's Body In China (PHOTO)

This is one of the most powerful photos of friendship we've ever seen.

According to the New York Daily News, a male dog in Zhangzhou, China, was photographed standing guard over his female companion after she was hit by a car and killed.

The male dog braved oncoming traffic in order to stay by his friend's side. Once in a while, witnesses would see the dog nudge the female's body, as if trying to wake her. The loyal companion stood guard for more than 6 hours.

Xiao Wu, a local butcher, told the Daily News that he had often seen the two stray dogs playing together.

"He stayed beside her the whole day, keeping licking her and pushing her, trying to wake her up. It's very touching," he told the news source. "Then he pushed her with his head, and licked her face. I even saw tears."

This is not the first instance of canine loyalty we've seen this year.

In September, the story of Capitán, a German Shepherd who guarded his owner's grave in Argentina for six years went viral. The Huffington Post reported that the dog often left the cemetery to spend a short period of time with his family, but then always returned to the gravesite before dark to stand watch over his owner.

In April, a black Labrador in California also made headlines for braving traffic to be with his friend after a fatal motorcycle accident. According to Time, the two dogs were spotted on Hacienda Boulevard in La Puente, Calif., where the dog stood guard over his companion's body before being taken to an animal adoption center.