Two men arrested after video emerges of another dog in washing machine
Dog found alive after online video shows poodle shut in top-loader - two weeks after outcry over Facebook images of submerged dog
An online video of a dog being put in a washing machine led to the arrest of two men yesterday and the removal of a toy poodle from their Mong Kok flat - apparently the same dog filmed being shut inside the machine.
It is the second case of a dog being put in a washing machine to have hit the headlines this month, after images posted online sparked complaints.
Police were accompanied by representatives of an animal welfare group when they raided the flat in Fa Yuen Street at about 7.30am and arrested the men, aged 22 and 38.
"No external wounds were found on the dog. Our vet will carry out a detailed examination," a spokeswoman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said.
Watch: Man puts poodle in washing machine (some viewers may find the video upsetting)
The adult female poodle would be kept in the society's Wan Chai headquarters until police completed their investigations, the spokeswoman added.
In the 21-second video clip a man wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, whose face cannot be seen, is shown putting a small brown poodle into a top-loading machine.
The person filming the clip can be heard saying: "What are you doing? … Don't muck around … Are you crazy, idiot!" as the dog visibly tries to resist going into the machine.
The man then closes the lid and presses a button on the control panel before the video ends abruptly.
A police officer said they were investigating whether the machine had actually been turned on and if it was filled with water at the time. "But we believe the Fa Yuen Street flat was the crime scene," he added.
A police source said officers identified the location after the technology crime division checked the Internet Protocol address - a computer's "phone number" to access the web.
The two Hongkongers were arrested on suspicion of cruelty to an animal, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of three years' jail and a HK$200,000 fine.
It is understood that the two suspects are flatmates. Police declined to say who owned the poodle. Last night, the pair were released on bail without being charged. Officers said they were required to report back next month.
While the case only emerged with yesterday's arrests, the video was posted on YouTube on July 28. It follows an outcry earlier this month after online photos of a dog inside another top-loading washing machine in a different Hong Kong flat went viral.
In that case, a man going by the name of Jacky Lo posted pictures on his Facebook page in August that showed the small white dog submerged in water.
A police spokeswoman said they were investigating the case but no one had been arrested.
The SPCA spokeswoman said she hoped the cases would not spark copycat behaviour.
