10th August 2026 – (Hong Kong) Police arrested a 46-year-old woman surnamed Tsui after a severely thin 13-year-old female poodle with skin disease was found in a flat at 8 Waterloo Road, Yau Ma Tei, during an eviction over unpaid rent.
According to reports, Ms Tsui had not paid rent since March. The landlord and bailiffs arrived today, 10th August, to enforce eviction and discovered the dog left inside a unit covered in faeces, then called police.
The flat is about 460 square feet with one living room and two bedrooms. It had been let to Ms Tsui since September last year at HK$19,000 a month. After she stopped paying in March, the landlord sued, won, and today went with bailiffs to remove her.
She opened the door herself. Once inside, the landlord and officers found faeces throughout the messy home and a clearly malnourished poodle, prompting the emergency call.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals staff also attended. Their initial assessment was that hygiene was poor and no clean food or water was apparent. After investigation, police arrested Ms Tsui on suspicion of cruelty to animals. She reportedly said she had no money to care for the pet.
Neighbours and animal-welfare advocates often note that pets left without food, water or cleaning become emergency cases once bailiffs force entry — the scene described on Waterloo Road.
Officers treat suspected cruelty as a criminal inquiry rather than a simple tenancy dispute, which is why the animal squad took the file even though the visit began as a civil eviction.
The case is with Yau Tsim Police District Criminal Investigation Support Team 2, the animal crime squad. Further steps will depend on veterinary findings and how prosecutors weigh the poodle’s condition against Ms Tsui’s claim that she could not afford care.