This is the heartbreaking moment a frantic mother dog carries her lifeless pup to safety after being hit by a car.

Onlooker John Moraga said the dog and the puppy were scavenging along the highway in Bulacan, the Philippines on July 6 when an approaching car hit the young pooch.

He said: "I was standing in front of my house when we heard the dog squeal in pain. They were looking for food when the puppy tried to cross."

The car driver fled without stopping to check the puppy as they were only strays and no one would report it to the authorities.

The mother took its puppy to the abandoned lot beside a school where its other puppies were, but it eventually died.

John added that he is already coordinating with concerned people how to locate the dogs for adoption and reduce the risk of them being hit by cars.

He said: "I don't know where the dead puppy is now. Sometimes, I would bring food and check on them from time to time. I cannot afford to adopt all of them since our house is small, but I can take one.''

The incident was reported to the village officers to find the identity of the car driver who hit the puppy.