The News Minute | September 23, 2014 | 2.21 pm IST

Pictures of a dog tied to the rear of a car and being dragged along the road went viral and created angst among the public in China and eventually led to the man apologizing for his action.

Witnesses to the gruesome incident clicked pictures of the dog being dragged and shared it first in the micro blogging site Sina Weibo on Saturday, reports China Daily. The dog was bleeding and was almost dying.

Social media users hunted for the driver and was identified as the number plate of the car was clearly visible in the photographs. The man’s name, address and phone number was later publicly shared on Sina Weibo.

The man appeared in a television news programme and apologized for his actions. He said that the animal was a watchdog at his factory and that it kept biting people because of which he wanted to get rid of it. He could not kill the dog with his own hands, he said on television.

"I couldn't see the dog in my rear-view mirror so I wasn't aware that it was bleeding badly," he said. Having studied only till primary school he did not expect his action would evoke anger like this, he added. "I apologize for my actions and hope Sina Weibo users would not to reveal or share any more of my personal information," said the driver.