Cleaning robot 'attacks' dog while owner is away! Video shows an animal trying to escape as the machine clings to its tail

This is when a cleaning robot appears to attack a dog while the owner is away.

The vacuum cleaner made its pre-programmed rounds as it sucked in the dog's tail as the poor animal yelped in horror.

Footage shows the pet frantically running in circles in the living room as it tries to get the robot off.

The dog, a Samoyed breed with long white fur, called for help while barking repeatedly while the device was still securely attached to its tail.

The animal remained in this position until its owner returned to his home in Taiyuan city, northern China's Shanxi province, an hour later on January 1.

The dog, a Samoyed breed with long white fur, called for help while barking repeatedly while the device was still securely attached to its tail (photo above)

The owner later reported that the robot had sucked hair from the dog's tail into the device and refused to let go, making it appear as if it had bitten the dog's tail.

Reports say the dog was in good condition as the roller brush that had grabbed the dog's tail was made of silicone.

However, his pet owner was now a lot more nervous about the robot vacuum cleaner than before.

This isn't the first time a pet has had an unfortunate encounter with a cleaning robot.

The tail of the little puppy Stonewall, an older Shih Tzu, was also sucked up by the vacuum cleaner – and the police officer had to cut the dog loose.

Owner Megan Dunavant, from Missouri, said she only realized something was wrong when the robot stopped.

“I reached over to turn it back on and he (the dog) whined a little bit and I thought, 'oh no, you're in it,'” she said. KSDK.

She added that her dog was “alligator rolls trying to get free and panics.”

Ms Dunavant called the police and officers managed to cut the dog free as only its tail hair was trapped. The dog was unharmed after its robot encounter.