PUBLISHED ONJuly 27, 2026 10:01 AMBYEsther LamA grieving pet owner was enraged after finding his deceased pet dog's remains dumped inside a rubbish bin near a HDB block despite having paid for a pet cremation service.
Liu Jianping (transliterated), a 46-year-old secretary, and his wife were the owners of a female dachshund named Kimi since 2010, reported Shin Min Daily News.
It was 16 years old when it died on the morning of July 19.
Liu told the Chinese newspaper that given his dog's long life, he was not too sad and searched online on how to properly handle his dog's remains.
He reportedly found a company called Express Pet Cremation that specialises in pet cremation, and would scatter one's pet's ashes at sea.
"One of their male employees came to my house early that morning to pick up (Kimi's) body, put it in a bag and left," said Liu.
He added that the employee also gave him an invoice, which reportedly stated that the body would be cremated at Ubi, and asked the 46-year-old to transfer him $180.
Shortly after, Liu headed to the rubbish chute area downstairs to throw some trash when he saw the male employee waiting for a taxi. He noticed that the man strangely did not have any bags in his hand, reported Shin Min.
As he was throwing his trash, Liu found a black garbage bag in the one of the green rubbish chutes and wondered if it might be his deceased pet.
"The bag looked like it had been deliberately stuffed at the bottom of the rubbish chute. When I opened it, I was shocked to find Kimi, who had been with us for 16 years.
"My hands were shaking. When my wife saw it, she cried on the spot. My mother also cried very sadly when she found out," recalled Liu.
"We've been very sad these past few days. I keep thinking, if I hadn't found it by chance, would the body have just been left there?"
Liu then took his dog's body to a nearby police station to file a report and also reported the matter to the National Parks Board. It was not reported which HDB estate the incident took place at.
"I think this pet cremation company not only failed to complete their service but also illegally disposed of the dog's body and should be held accountable," he added.
An Express Pet Cremation employee told Shin Min Daily News that the company would investigate the matter and subsequently stopped answering calls or replying to messages.
Liu subsequently found another company to handle his dog's body and was provided with photos throughout the process. He reportedly spent another $198, bringing the total cost to $378.
He added that he subsequently informed Express Pet Cremation of the incident and requested for a refund, but has yet to receive a response.
According to the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS)'s website, pet remains can be buried in a person's private property or land, but not in public areas.
Additionally, the handling of a pet's deceased body depends on its size.
Under the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations, animal carcasses are not allowed to be buried in public places.
Their waste-to-energy plants are not designed for the cremation of large animal carcasses, such as dogs and cats, according to the National Environment Agency.
AsiaOne has reached out to Express Pet Cremation and AVS for more information.
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