The pet dog that mauled a Filipino domestic helper during her first week of work with a Causeway Bay family was unlicensed, authorities revealed yesterday.
The one-year-old dog had not been implanted with a microchip, had not been licensed and it was unclear if it had ever been vaccinated against rabies, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.
The department was unable to say where the mixed-breed animal had been bought.
But it did say the helper, Lilibeth Tumaca, who was bitten by the dog multiple times on December 29, had a low risk of having rabies.
The dog, named Lucky, was surrendered by its owners on Tuesday, more than two weeks after Ms Tumaca was bitten. Two previous attempts by government dog-catchers to retrieve it for observation failed.
Ms Tumaca said Lucky lunged at her while she was feeding it at her employers' flat at about 5pm on December 29. She alleged that the dog had also bitten her on December 25, a day after she arrived from Manila to start work with her employers, but her male boss denied the earlier incident.
The dog had not shown symptoms of rabies and the incubation period for the virus had passed, the department spokeswoman said.
