The first dog in the world to be found with the coronavirus COVID-16 died on Monday after testing negative for the virus, according to Hong Kong’s animal welfare authority.

The 17-year-old Pomeranian dog which belonged to a 60-year-old woman who recovered from the virus herself and refused to allow the city’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) to conduct an autopsy on her dog.

The woman was said to have been under mandatory quarantine at a government facility since February 26 and returned home last Saturday, where the dog was tested five times it all returned “weak positive” results for the virus.

The results carried out on March 12 and 13 proved that Pomeranian samples were negative that the department allowed it to leave the centre and return home.

The department said earlier the genetic make-up of the virus found in the dog and its human contacts were very similar.

So far, apart from the Pomeranian, the other three animals: cat, a Shiba Inu and a mongrel they all tested negative for the deadly virus.

(Pictures credit: AFP)