Pet groomer banned over abuse claims

A woman in charge of a Tai Po pet beauty shop has been banned from providing care or beauty work for pets, pending her next court appearance for allegedly abusing four dogs.

Pui Lau-ying, 28, appeared in a Fan Ling Magistrates' Court yesterday to face one count of animal abuse. She allegedly beat, kicked and tortured a brownish shepherd dog, a brown shiba and two white poodles at the Royal Dog House from May 2018 to October 2019.

The prosecution said footage showed Pui's abuse of the dogs had circulated on social media. Eighteen people and a former employee later contacted a police hotline, including at least one person who recognized a dog filmed in the footage.

Pui was granted HK$10,000 bail until her next court appearance on May 18, pending further investigations.

Before her next court hearing, she has been banned from leaving Hong Kong or taking part in any jobs related to animal beauty or care.

She is forbidden from contacting existing and former staff of the Tai Po shop, or any former customers, and is also required to report to the police once per week.

In a separate case, a 50-year-old renovation worker was arrested yesterday for cutting a stray dog on the right side of its face with a sickle.

The two-year-old white mongrel was discovered by a villager in She Leung Village in Ma Tso Lung, Lok Ma Chau, on Wednesday.

The male dog was taken to a private vet by the villager, receiving stitches on a wound from its right eye to its mouth that measured 12 centimeters.

Speaking on the animal abuse case yesterday, Inspector Wong Hoi-chung of the border district crime squad said a report was received from a villager on January 18.

Officers took the suspect into custody pending an investigation, Wong said.

Police are still probing into the motive behind the attack on the dog, which appeared to be gentle and obedient.

"The dog looked gentle when we first met it. It did not show any signs of aggression," he said.

Wong warned that anyone who treated animals brutally would face up to three years in jail and a fine of HK$200,000 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance.

According to the villager who save the dog, her neighbor heard a drunk man scolding the dog when the incident happened.