This is the heartwarming moment that rescue dogs feared dead when the Chinese floods hit their shelter were discovered on a nearby roof.

The footage shows rescue workers frantically searching for the dogs, whose cage doors had been opened when shelter workers were forced by authorities to flee the flood waters in China’s Hebei province this week.

But as workers help some dogs into a small raft, the camera pans up to show miraculous footage of the brave dogs sheltering on a rooftop.

Qin Xi Zhao, 45 who runs the NoToDogMeat shelter in Hebei was heartbroken when he was forced to leave 500 dogs behind, as the devastating flood rose around them.

But speaking about the miraculous moment, which was captured on camera after he returned with a search team to the damaged facility, he said: “When I left I opened the cage doors to ensure that at the very least the precious dogs would have a chance to escape.

"These are dark times for the Hebei shelter, but this was our miracle moment. We feared that the dogs were lost in the mud, and we still don't know the full extent of damage here, but seeing these faces on the roof helped our souls in this terrible time."

Despite the happy moment, the Hebei shelter, which houses dogs rescued from the meat trade, is still in a precarious position.

With food spoiled and structural damage being assessed. There are also fears that the river may burst, after water was diverted from Beijing to the region.

In Hebei 1.54million people have been forced to relocate by flood waters, after record rainfall in Baoding led to the overflowing of a number of reservoirs.

Zhuozhou City in the province saw water up to six metres deep immerse 60 per cent of urban areas leaving at least ten people known to have died.

UK lawyer Julia de Cadenet, 50 founder of NoToDogMeat, who has also been working around the clock coordinating the charity's fundraising efforts, said: "This is a dire time, and we are all in shock. We do not know how much damage we have at this stage. Everything is about working day by day, and preserving the lives of our beautiful rescues."

To donate to the urgent flood appeal please visit https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/Emergency-Flood-China-Shelter