According to the South China Morning Post, two men had been arrested at their home in Hong Kong on suspicion of cruelty to an animal after images of their act which were posted online sparked complaints.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of three years’ jail and a HK$2000,000 fine.
They have been since released on bail without being charged.
A spokeswoman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said, no external wounds were found on the toy poodle but it would be kept in the society’s headquarters until police completed their investigations.
The 21-second video clip shows a man putting a small brown poodle into a top-loading washing machine as the dog tries to resist, but in vain.
He then closes the lid and presses a button before the video ends abruptly.
The video, posted on YouTube on July 28 follows an earlier photo posted online of a dog inside another top-loading washing machine that went viral.
Jacky Lo posted this photo of a poodle in a washing machine filled with water on his Facebook.
The man, Jacky Lo, had posted pictures in August of a small while dog submerged in water on Facebook.
