According to Yang, the dog would be at the bus stop at eight in the morning, and would not miss checking hers or any of the other vehicles that stopped by until about six in the evening.

A worker of the Guangyan temple parking lot, named Gou Huiqun, told reporters that Huang Huang would immediately peer at the windows of any buses that stopped by before jumping on board and sniffing about, occasionally looking up at the passengers.

Some bus drivers recalled seeing Huang Huang with its master at the temple half a month ago. But they could not say with any certainty what had happened to the dog’s owner, and most assumed that Huang Huang had been abandoned.

One driver surnamed Fung had considered taking Huang Huang home with him, but felt that such a decision would be premature.

“We’re worried that its owner might be looking for it and might come back to it,” Fung said. “Such a loyal dog … Who would be willing to part with it? I can only hope that it’ll quickly be reunited with its owner and won’t have to wait here at the bus stop every day.”

Chengdu netizens took pictures of Huang Huang on a bus, and the images quickly went viral. Internet users made comparisons with Hachiko, a famous Japanese Akita dog who routinely met his owner after work at a train station. Even when his owner died suddenly, Hachiko continued this ritual and appeared at the train station every day for nine years, eventually becoming well-known both in Japan and abroad for his undying loyalty.