Dog 'blocked' owner from traveling to Wuhan during early days of coronavirus outbreak

A woman from Taiwan managed to avoid a planned trip to Wuhan, China — the source of the current coronavirus outbreak — thanks to her Golden Retriever, Kimi.

The virus was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Dec. 31, 2019, and was being monitored throughout early January, but no alarms had been raised before Kimi's owner went to book flights on Jan. 13 to visit Wuhan.

When Kimi's owner came home, she saw that Kimi had chewed and destroyed her passport, and was furious. She posted the photos to her Facebook, showing how not a single page in the passport remained intact.

"I got back to the room and found this scene!" she captioned the photos of Kimi bashfully posing next to the destroyed passport.

However, shortly after the photos, it was announced that the virus had originated at a marketplace in Wuhan.

The owner wrote a second post on Facebook, saying: "Do you guys remember the passport? Throwback: this kid is really protecting me. After my passport was torn apart, the virus began to go where I originally planned to go."

Then news broke that a doctor working at a hospital in Wuhan died after contracting coronavirus. A few days after that, WHO announced the disease could be transmitted between humans.

"I think about it now, and it's very touching. Fortunately, you blocked our trip."

NBC reported on Jan. 28 that there have been over 5,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in China and several hundred more worldwide, as health officials struggle to contain it from spreading further. Wuhan has been on lockdown since Jan. 23 and construction workers have been working quickly to build a new 1,000-bed hospital in the city, aiming to be completed by early February.

Coronavirus symptoms are flu-like, starting with a fever and turning into a cough and shortness of breath. There is no vaccine or cure as of now.