This is the heartening moment when a hungry stray pup helps itself to a piece of sausage after sneaking into a convenience store in northern China.

The pooch apparently slipped past staff unnoticed but surveillance cameras caught it walking up and down the aisles of food like any choosy shopper in the city of Tangshan, in the Chinese province of Hebei.

After getting clean away with one sausage snack, the dog goes back for more.

This time it is spotted by checkout girl Ms Zhou but she is too kindhearted to stop it so she paid for the food herself.

A second piece of video footage shows the adorable pup standing outside the store with the tasty sausage in its mouth, looking back in Ms Zhou’s direction as if it wants to express gratitude.

She added that she is willing to keep buying it food any time it returns.