A flower shop in Sheung Wan stirred controversy by posting a notice outside its premises threatening to poison dogs in response to irresponsible pet owners not cleaning up after their pets.
The notice read, "Due to some dog owners lacking civic responsibility and letting their dogs defecate here without cleaning up, and behaving rudely, we will place poison here. Please keep your dogs away to avoid any accidents."
The public notice quickly attracted widespread criticism from animal rights groups and netizens. Many condemned the shop's actions, and some even threatened to call the police.
Following the backlash, the shop, named "Flower Art", explained that the notice was a response to a specific incident that morning when a staff member asked a dog owner to clean up the dog's urine, but the owner responded arrogantly and escalated the situation. The post stated that the frequent presence of dog feces on the street led them to issue the notice as a deterrent, emphasizing that they had not actually placed any poison.
When approached by the "Hong Kong Animal Post", a staff member from the flower shop recounted that the dog had urinated near the shop's back door and that when asked to clean it up, the owner responded by flipping off the staff. The shop stressed that they had no intention of actually poisoning any animals but wanted to draw attention to the issue of civic responsibility among pet owners.
Despite these explanations, many netizens remained angry, questioning the legality and ethics of even threatening to use poison. Comments ranged from calls for legal action against the shop to criticisms of the shop's poor judgment in handling the situation. Concerns were also raised about the potential danger to stray animals that could be harmed if such threats were carried out.
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