Moving to Hong Kong with pets

My husband and I are moving from the States to Hong Kong in August. We have two large dogs and a cat that we have had since they were babies. We tried finding homes for our dogs and one of them was so depressed that he ended up coming back to us. Is it unreasonable for me to consider moving them to Hong Kong? It is breaking my heart to leave them. Any advice from others living in Hong Kong with animals is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Dominique.

Hi there, you can live here with dogs and a cat with no problems as long as you can sort out flying them over here. I have two rescue dogs and live in Sai Kung which has loads of country trails and a nice walk along the waterfront. You can also try Clearwater Bay. Its a bit of a commute to central but both me and my partner do it everyday and we are use to it now.

Don't hesitate to bring them to HK! It's a great place for dogs. The heat is a bit of an issue, but if you keep an eye out for heat stroke in the summer it's fine. HK does give the impression of being just one big city, but the majority of the territory is country park, even on HK Island.


One big plus is that if you have a helper, the dog will rarely need to be left alone/boarded, even when you are on vacation.


Walking: We live in Repulse Bay and the hiking trails start about 3 minutes from our door. Many areas have similar proximity. Our dog will be running around off leash for hours. HK Island has hundreds of kilometers of (often gorgeous) hiking trails in the country parks. On Lantau and the rest of the New Territories, the country parks are of course even more massive. Again, most of HK is greenery. Even if you live in Midlevels, good walks are not far.



HK is quite easy to import pets into from the US. You just need the right documentation and shots, plus the correct microchip. Details are on the AFCD site here http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/quarantine/qua_ie/qua_ie_ipab/qua_ie_ipab_idc/qua_ie_ipab_idc.html


A company like International Pet Travel can be a big help during the importation process. George Yung there is great. 91355233. http://www.internationalpettravel.com/


Two caveats:

- Many buildings don't allow dogs so check first.

- Many HKers are quite fearful of dogs. The general attitude towards dogs is definitely not like in the States. I have had people both scream and cry in terror as our dog has started walking towards them. Just something to be aware of. The expression "hoe gwai gwai" (more or less "very nice") can be helpful to assuage fears, but mostly we try to be good dog owners.


While I'm at it, here's a great dog boarding place for when you and helper are away: http://dbdogdayz.com/

Agree with the above posts. We brought our large dog to HK from the UK many years ago ... whether or not we could bring her with us was the deciding factor of whether or not we came, we had no intention of leaving her behind. She has thrived here and had a very good life.


We used one of the pet relocation companies who did a door to door service for us which relieved some of the pressure of sorting out all the paperwork ourselves, although I have been told it's not too difficult to arrange yourself if you prefer.


There are many, many dog owners here in HK, but as the above post says some of the locals are quite fearful, especially of large dogs, but as long as you are responsible and aware of this you shouldn't have any problems.

I wanted to add one more caveat:

- Pets cannot go on public transport in HK (except guide dogs). However you can use taxis, which are cheap and plentiful. There is a $5 surcharge per animal (about US$0.65), but many drivers don't even take that.

Dogs (as long as they are muzzled) also allowed on the ferry if you live in Discovery Bay, I presume it is the same for other outlying island. Vets are plentiful, and well trained, good dog and cat food available in most supermarkets.

Thx Susie. I should have said "dogs are not allowed on buses, trams and the MTR". They are allowed on most "slow" ferries. A muzzle is required but in many cases not enforced.

Thank you so much for all of this insightful info! Really good stuff!