A dog was strangled to death in Sai Wan after its leash was caught by elevator doors yesterday morning in the second such incident in three months.
A foreign domestic helper entered an elevator in Kam Ho Court on Belcher’s Street with the dog’s leash in her hands, but the dog rushed out of the lift just seconds after entering.
The lift doors closed and caught the leash. As the lift started to go up, it pulled the leash and the dog with it, choking the pet.
It is understood the 46-year-old foreign domestic helper was walking three dogs in Kennedy Town before the incident happened at around 9.47am.
She brought all three dogs into the lift but one of them suddenly ran out as the doors were closing, sources said.
Police were alerted by the building’s security guard, who had rushed to press the lift’s door opener after seeing the dog’s predicament on the surveillance camera.
He said the lift stopped but the doors did not open.
Ambulancemen arrived and certified the one-year-old dog died at the scene before covering its lifeless body with a blanket.
The dog’s 24-year-old owner was also called to the scene, and she broke into tears when seeing her pet lying on the ground.
Staff from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the elevator contractor company later inspected the lift and checked the CCTV footage of the incident.
The frightened helper rushed down to the lobby immediately after the incident. She suffered injuries to her hands and was taken to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment.
Police believed the case was not suspicious and listed it as a request for police assistance and an accident with a person injured.
The department said after the incident that the lift doors did not reopen as the dog leash was too thin to be sensed. The lift contractor added there were no mechanical problems with the lift after inspection.
The department reminded the public to take care of their dogs when entering and exiting lifts to avoid similar fatal incidents.
On June 26 in Sham Shui Po, a man did not notice his dog playing with a neighbor at the lobby of Boundary Building on Tung Chau Street and walked into the lift alone and pressed the door-close button.
The doors closed on the dog leash and dragged the dog upwards.
Fortunately, a security guard immediately stopped the elevator and the dog then broke free from its leash after struggling for more than 10 seconds.
After checking the CCTV footage, the security guard said the owner should have seen his dog being left outside, adding that the owner acted “unresponsive” at the time and did not pull the dog into the lift.
Firefighters later arrived at the scene and freed the dog owner who was trapped in the lift for about 20 minutes.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals advised individuals to handle one dog at a time.
“When taking your dog for a walk, it is crucial to give it your full attention,” said Lily Leung, senior behavioral support technician of the SPCA.
“And we strongly recommend utilizing a dog harness rather than a collar, as it significantly reduces the risk of injury.”
stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com