Hong Kong man, 71, arrested over abandoning sick dog near rubbish bin

A 71-year-old Hong Kong man was arrested on Friday for abandoning his sick dog after the animal was found next to a rubbish bin on a street in Sham Shui Po.

A passer-by reported the case to police at 1.53am after discovering the dog, which was bleeding and breathing weakly, abandoned at the junction of Lai Chi Kok Road and Shek Kip Mei Street. The force said the dog later died at the scene.

The owner was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals after police followed a trail of the dog’s blood to a nearby building and found the 71-year-old man.

The force said the animal had suffered a 7cm-by-10cm (2.8-by-3.9-inch) wound that had bled continuously and was believed to have been caused by maggot infections.

Members of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) were also called to the scene to assess the situation.

An SPCA spokesman said its inspectors arrived in Sham Shui Po on Thursday night to help with the case.