A Hong Kong singer-turned-influencer is facing public backlash for using a dog repeller to chase away stray mongrels living in the mountains.
In a recent Facebook Live stream, Winnie Lau, who was walking her one-year-old poodle Scooby with her husband, shared how they sometimes hike in the mountains and how there are many stray dogs there.
“Scooby is too calm… once you press this [dog repeller], the [mongrels] will flee,” she said.
“This is particularly effective on mongrels.”
However, she said it does not work on purebred dogs like poodles, labradors and golden retrievers.
“Frankly speaking, poodles, labradors and golden retrievers won’t be very fierce, but when mongrels surround me, I’ll be very scared,” said Lau, who is the wife of Edmond So, a member of the Canto-pop boy band Grasshopper.
She also said that the radio frequency of the device does not harm the dogs. She said this was according to the seller on Taobao from whom she bought the gadget.
While many manufacturers of dog repellers have marketed them as safe for use on canines, some studies have shown that ultrasonic dog repellers and aversive-based products can cause psychological harm to dogs.
Lau’s remarks have drawn the ire of netizens in Hong Kong.
“Mongrels’ lives are also precious,” one internet user said in the comments section of the Facebook Live stream, adding how true dog lovers would not discriminate based on their breed.
“Not all mongrels are fierce, while not all purebred dogs are well behaved,” said another commenter.
Some also criticized the influencer for entering the stray dogs’ territory and then trying to chase them away.
“You’re entering their territory. It’s normal for them to protect their home,” said another internet user.
One netizen said she needed to buy the device so she could chase away pet owners like Lau.
In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Lau added a comment saying that she is particularly fearful of dogs that are too friendly because one of her cats was bitten and killed by a dog.
She also said she would only use the device when in danger and not target specific breeds.
But netizens pointed out how she was playing with the device in the Facebook Live stream when her life was not under threat and how she had repeatedly highlighted issues with mongrels.
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