Woman in Hong Kong mauled to death by dog in pet hotel
The 33-year-old local woman had been working alone in a pet boarding facility when the attack occurred on Thursday (Aug 20), Hong Kong police said.
A screengrab from Google Maps showing the gate leading to the pet boarding facility in Ta Kwu Ling, a district in Hong Kong's New Territories. (Image: Google Street View)
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HONG KONG: A 33-year-old woman in Hong Kong has been found dead in a pet boarding facility after she was reportedly mauled by a dog, according to Hong Kong police.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday (Aug 20) evening, assistant border district commander Matthew Chan said police received a call at 4.12pm about a woman who had been found unconscious in Ping Yeung village in Ta Kwu Ling, a district in the New Territories.
The local woman, who was not named, was pronounced dead at the scene when first responders arrived, Chan said, adding that a dog had been “wandering around” the deceased’s body.
According to Chan, the location was a licensed dog hotel and training centre.
The woman, who has not been named, was the licence holder of the premises, Chan added.
Police said the facility began operations in January.
CCTV footage taken from the premises showed that the incident occurred at 2pm.
“The deceased had just fed the dog and wanted to lead it back into the cage,” Chan said.
However, the dog had refused, Chan added - and attacked the woman, who had been alone at the facility at that time.
The attack reportedly lasted for a minute, according to Senior Inspector Tam Kai-hin.
Six other dogs were seen in their cages when the attack happened, Chan said, adding that there had been no signs of disturbance at the scene by intruders.
“Preliminary investigations showed that the woman suffered lacerations to her head, neck and arms, as well as animal bites,” Chan said.
The dog was identified as a local village dog and is believed to be around one year old.
It measured around 1 m in length.
The dog had been brought to the facility by volunteers on Aug 11 and was awaiting adoption, Chan said.
“The dog is currently being held at Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for observation,” he added.
A postmortem examination will be carried out to establish the cause of death.
“The police will look into the case to see if there are any violations or negligence involved,” said Chan.
“We hope to find the truth and give justice to the deceased.”
The fatal case follows another reported incident in Hong Kong where two pet dogs had been fatally attacked by a larger dog that had been unleashed - sparking concerns over the management of large dog breeds in the city.
Under Hong Kong law, dogs weighing 20kg or more must be kept securely on a leash no longer than two metres in public places.
Violators face fines of up to HK$25,000 (US$3187.84) and up to three months’ imprisonment.
The latest dog attack drew attention among Chinese netizens. The news was trending on Weibo on Friday morning - topping the site’s Hot Search list.
Many were shocked by the incident.
Weibo user Xi Liaoli shared that she found it hard to believe that the dog had attacked the owner of the pet hotel - someone who was considered a “trained dog handler”.
“It’s in a dog’s instincts to bite a person,” Xi said. “No matter how much you train it to suppress its instincts, they will awaken one day. Simply calling it a ‘doggy’ won’t change its nature.”
Another user going by the handle A Kang described the news as a “harsh wake up call”.
“The average person can't withstand the impact of a 30 kg (dog) pressing down on them,” the user said.
‘Whether you're a dog owner or work in the pet industry, you really can't afford to be lax about safety precautions.”
