Hong Kong can be an unforgiving place for dogs.
If you think the summer heat and humidity is brutal when you are forced to wear a suit and tie to work, imagine wearing a full coat of fur!
As in many cities, people think only of the positives when it comes to owning a dog. It's great to have your best friend greet you at the door after a long, stressful day at work but keep in mind, there are responsibilities that come with pet ownership.
Often owners neglect to exercise their dogs and then there is the inconvenience of that nightly ride in the lift to the street to take your dog to do its business before bedding down. Sometimes you just don't feel like getting off of the sofa!
Inevitably the end result of this is the poor dog ends up abandoned on the street or dropped off at one of the dog shelters in Hong Kong, such as HK Dog Rescue or the SPCA.
Unfortunately these dog homing organizations have only so much space and inevitably many of the dogs are put down because so many people prefer to purchase a puppy from a pet shop.
Yes puppies are great, except for the fact that they don't remain puppies for long, and you have to train them not to use your expensive Persian carpet as a bathroom. And then there is the small matter of them chewing to bits your Jimmy Choo designer shoe collection.
If you are looking to adopt a dog in HK, both the
SPCA and
HKDR have searchable up to date listings of dogs, cats and other pets; you can also visit the
AsiaXPAT Dog and Pet Classifieds to find a wide range of pets offered for free by departing expats.
We adopted our little mongrel when she was one year old and she is a bundle of joy :)