Thinking of getting a rescue dog

I'm thinking of getting a rescue dog and having only lived in Hong Kong for 2 years I wondered what sort of life I could give a dog. I work long hours but spend a lot of my free time on the weekends hiking and on the beach. I would be very interested to hear about the type of help that is available as I really wouldn't want the dog at home alone or unwalked during the day. Also what are the pitfalls of urban dog ownership other than the lack of outdoor space that is?


Thanks in advance for any help.

Do consider carefully as having a dog is like a child except they never grow up. We have a rescue dog which we brought with us from overseas. Some questions to ask yourself.

A dog needs to be trained and if you work how will you house "break" the dog into his new environment? I am not talking about poo and pee but the chewing and destructive behaviors from anxiety seperation as a dog will not be comfortable immediately in a new place.

Who will walk and feed him when I am at work? Am I prepared to pay a walker or get a DH? We pay for a dog sitter everytime we leave the dog for more then 4 hours and he is a well behaved dog but it is just us. Not advisable to leave dog alone for 10-12 hr(5 days a week) given you work at least 8 and commute. There are walkers who will come for about 1 hr each time for about $60-$80 but 1 hr in a day is insufficient even if you gave it a good walk before you leave for work. I would advise a small medium size dog if you are in urban area just simply because you need less space to excercise them. We were in a service apartment for a while on HK island and found it very limited and headed to parks and The Peak whenever we could to let the dog(and us) a walk away from too much concrete:) Consider also that it will be the end of bus and mtr rides with the dogs. We have gotten away with the dog in a carrier on green and red buses. Taxis are generally ok as they charge $5 more for the dog. Get the "Woof Guide" for HK as it is very informative on all the services eg dog friendly places and food joints, pet supplies, walkers, everything.


We live in Sai Kung now and it is the best place ever for a dog. Friendlier than dog loving Paris! PM me if you need help on info on SK(walks, food places, dog friendly massage places, etc) if you decide to get a dog. I could go on and on so if you do have a specific question I will be happy to give you my views and help as I think there are many dogs in need of a good home given you are asking questions without just jumping in! Some rescue places would be happy for you to foster as a trial. Last thing to consider-How long will I be in HK for and what will I do when I leave HK? Am I committed to take the dog with me? Seen to many owners who will leave pets behind and not all will find good homes as they typically would be more senior. Dogs bring lots of joy and we cannot imagine our lives without ours so I hope I haven't scared you too much :) Good luck.

I agree with what kiwiinhk says. We have two dogs, one of them a rescue dog. I think it is commendable of you to want to give a home to a rescue dog. However, as mentioned in the above post, unless you have someone at home during the day whilst you are working, please, please reconsider taking on a dog.


Dogs are notoriously sociable creatures and love human company. A dog left alone for several hours a day will quite possibly become destructive due to boredom/lack of attention. It is great that at the weekends you enjoy outdoor activities which a dog would love, but what about the majority of the time? It is unlikely that you will find a dog sitter to be at home with your dog all day, and simply having someone to come and walk your dog a couple of times a day really isn't a great option. So, unless you take on a domestic helper (one who likes dogs and enjoys walking!), I really would have second thoughts about whether or not your lifestyle would be suitable for taking on a dog.


If you do have spare time at the weekends, places like Hong Kong Dog Rescue and the SPCA are always in need of volunteers to walk the dogs. I'm sure they would be more than happy for you to offer your services.

Thank you for the very detailed responses, they are greatly appreciated. Can I just assure you that this is a very big decision that I am not taking lightly. I would not dream of leaving the dog alone, treating it with anything other than the love and respect of other family members and if I were to leave HK it would only be to a place whereby the dog would have a better life and would most certainly be first priority.


I would hire a helper specifically to look after the dog in the day as I do work long hours. But the training elements would worry me if I'm honest. To get someone to look after the dog is one thing but to help train it I imagine is another.


Thank you all for the food for thought, I very much appreciate the concerns and honesty about dog ownership in HK and all great advice to take onboard.

If you are prepared to hire a helper .....I would encourage you to go for it!!! The training bit is not that difficult and give clear instructions to a DH who loves dogs. Take a week off to housebreak the dog and train the maid on what needs to be done but don't end up coddling the dog the whole time as you will create a different issue when you need to go back to work. As long as you walk the dog regularly you won't get too much accidents at home. The sit, stay, roll over play dead stuff you can do over weekends as your time together. Dogs learn quick so do not be put off by all the scary stuff and the reward is worth it. I guess I did not want a dog stuck at home 10-12 hours Mon to Fri. Plenty of lovely dogs looking for good homes and enjoy the journey.

Toobin, I can see that you are putting a lot of thought into this, and you're obviously not taking the decision lightly, which is good to see.


As far as the training is concerned, if you choose to have dog that is a bit older, rather than a young puppy, many of the rescue dogs who have previously lived in a home prior to being abandoned or whatever, are already house trained and obedient ... of course, some are not, it's a matter of choosing your dog wisely. We have been blessed with the perfect dog, but my friends were not so lucky ... although I had my doubts when I first saw the dog they had chosen:-(


If, like my husband (who also works very long hours), you are prepared to walk the dog early in the morning, before going to work, and then again late in the evening, you would be spending a reasonable amount of time with him (or her) in order to iron out any little problems with behaviour. And, if you were to hire a helper who is good with dogs, she would be able to follow your instructions on how to handle the dog in the correct way during the day. The same goes when choosing a helper ... choose wisely and make sure that she knows how to handle dogs and treat them well. Many just can't be bothered, but some are great. Good luck!

Hello,


I'm glad to see you're giving this a lot of thought and asking questions. I moved here a few months ago and we brought our small pure bred dog with us from NYC. He's used to being alone for a few hours a day but we decided to get a rescue pup to keep him company.


The rescue is great, even more loving then our first dog (I think anyway). She sleeps beside me every night and comes when I call her. But that said I've been working from home a lot since we got her and since we have the other dog she's never really been alone. She seems to need a lot more attention.


Be prepared to pay for a walker through the week and take it into account when considering getting one. Not just for the fact that they need to pee though the day but as they said above they are social animals and need contact (the more the better!!). I get my guys out about 4 times a day (a benefit of working from home!).


Best of luck to ya!