Seven-year-old bitten by off-leash corgi at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

A seven-year-old boy attending a summer sailing camp at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club was bitten by an unleashed corgi whose owner provided fake contact details before leaving the scene. 

The child’s mother, Evelyn Wong, recently told The Standard that her son was playing with two off-leash corgis at the club’s beach on Middle Island before morning sailing activities on August 11, the second day of a two-week day camp. 

She said the female owner had assured the children that her pets would not bite, but moments later, one corgi barked aggressively and bit the boy’s leg.

“After he got bitten, she looked at his wound, and she said, ‘Oh, it’s just a scratch,’” Wong said, noting that the woman handed a name and phone number to camp instructors before leaving with a male companion. 

The boy’s parents were informed of the incident by the instructors, and he was taken to Queen Mary Hospital. Doctors treated the boy’s deep leg wound and bruising.

Medical staff confirmed that the boy did not require stitches but daily wound dressings. Additionally, as the owner fled and the dog’s vaccination records could not be verified, the child required a mandatory four-dose rabies vaccination series administered over 14 days.

The boy was also barred from all aquatic activities and missed nearly the entire remainder of his summer camp.

Wong said the family reported the incident to police at the hospital on the same day. However, neither the police nor the parents were able to contact the woman, as the phone number provided was disconnected. The case was then referred to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) for investigation.

Wong said the department told her that the owner may have committed two criminal offences by failing to leash her pets in public and providing fraudulent contact details to avoid liability. 

In response to media enquiries from The Standard, Koko Mueller, head of public relations and communications at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, said internal reviews and CCTV footage indicated that the female owner and her companion traveled to Middle Island using the club’s sampan ferry to access the adjacent public beach. After spending time at the beach, they returned through the club property. 

“The Club has completed its internal review and examined the available CCTV footage. Based on that review, the individuals involved could not be identified. The Club has also been unable to identify the individuals as Club members,” she said. 

She added that the club has provided the relevant security camera footage to AFCD and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. The spokeswoman said the club has remained in contact with the boy’s mother.

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