HONG KONG - Two men have been nabbed for alleged animal cruelty after a video clip showing one man putting a poodle inside a washing machine went viral, sparking yet another outcry since a similar video made the headlines earlier this month.

Police arrested the suspects - identified only by their surnames Leung, 38, and Wong, 22 - early Friday morning at their Mongkok flat, following a month of investigations in response to a complaint filed by Hong Kong's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the Apple Daily reported.

In the 21-second video that first appeared on YouTube on July 28, one man was filmed placing a brown toy poodle inside a washing machine as the dog struggled to climb out.

The man then suddenly put down the lid on the dog and appeared to press some buttons to operate the machine.

His move panicked another man behind the camera who yelled: "Are you serious? Are you crazy? You idiot!"

It was not known if the machine was indeed switched on.

During the raid at the Mongkok flat, officers found a similar poodle that did not seem to be hurt.

In late August, a Hong Kong Facebook user by the name Jacky Lo put up photos and videos of a small white dog spinning inside a washing machine and claimed that the dog was dead.

Police had said they were investigating Lo's case for animal cruelty but no arrest had been made.