A Greek dog owner has been arrested over abuse of her 10-month-old Maltese, which was covered in injuries and died in a veterinary hospital last week.
Sources said the 69-year-old woman, who holds a Hong Kong ID card, was arrested on Tuesday night, hours after the Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Ho Man Tin made a report to the police.
It is understood that the woman found her Maltese unwell and brought the puppy to the hospital on May 1.
But the dog - covered in injuries-- was beyond rescue and died the next day.
Staff of the clinic suspected the Maltese had suffered abuse and reported to the police.
The owner was arrested for cruelty to animals. The Kowloon City district crime wing is following up.
This is the third animal abuse case reported in a week.
On May 2, a nine-year-old Yorkshire terrier was suspected to have been beaten to death.
The terrier named Honey was brought into the veterinary clinic of the Non-Profit-making Veterinary Services Society in Prince Edward on May 2.
During surgical operations, it was discovered that Honey had 18 skull fragments and an indented skull. Its situation improved after being hospitalized for two days, regaining ability to eat and swallow.
But the founder of the society, Mark Mak, was not hopeful about Honey's recovery. In a social media post he said Honey's wounds were "more than what a body made of blood and flesh can take."
On May 9, the sixth day after hospitalization, Honey's condition worsened and he died.
The owner of Honey had asked her mother and elder sister to look after her dog at their Tsuen Wan home, which her mother's boyfriend occasionally visited.
The mother traveled to Thailand on April 30 and the elder sister left for work on May 1. The dog was left to the mother's boyfriend.
Upon returning, the elder sister found multiple injuries on Honey, and the man had gone.
No arrest has been made yet.
The society said on
Facebook: "We hope Honey will rest in peace, but how could animals enjoy peace in a society where animal cruelty is so common? Why would such a tragedy happen? How to prevent another case like Honey's?" About 2,000 people online reacted to the post with a sad emoji.
On May 10, police arrested a 22-year-old husky owner on suspicion of ill-treating his dog after his wife posted a video of him punishing the dog for being naughty.
Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, offenders are liable to a fine of HK$200,000 and to imprisonment for three years.