HONG KONG - The brutal killing of a stray dog and her puppies in China in June has ignited widespread condemnation, prompting animal lovers and activists to call for improved animal welfare, with protests even taking place abroad.

Calls for better legal protection for animals have grown in more than 100 Chinese cities since the incident took place on June 28 in a village in Jieyang in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

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