[WoolyLade]

My partner and I are moving to Hong Kong for work. We have embraced the idea and are excited, however, we have a little (well behaved) 2 yr old English Staffy which we cannot bear to part with... hence, does anyone have advice as to which areas are 'ok' with dogs and also, is it possible to keep a dog in Hong Kong - or are there restrictions which will make it difficult? Any feed back would be appreciated.

[hello_there]

Originally Posted by WoolyLade

My partner and I are moving to Hong Kong for work. We have embraced the idea and are excited, however, we have a little (well behaved) 2 yr old English Staffy which we cannot bear to part with... hence, does anyone have advice as to which areas are 'ok' with dogs and also, is it possible to keep a dog in Hong Kong - or are there restrictions which will make it difficult? Any feed back would be appreciated.

There are plenty of areas in HK that are okay for dogs. Some apartment complexes don't allow dogs, but there are many buildings that permit them. I think that there's a pretty good list of buildings that permit dogs somewhere else on this forum. (Also be sure to get landlord permission for a pet.) A couple other restrictions are just common sense - leashed and in control in public spaces (not country parks though) and pick up their mess.

Without knowing your housing budget and the amount of time you're willing to commute its hard to pinpoint the best areas for you, but here are some general areas that are suitable and even nice for dogs - most areas on the south side of HK island (Repulse Bay, Stanley, Red Hill, Parkview, etc....some of these areas are a bit pricy), the Peak (pricy, but has some nice walking/ hiking areas and a big park that permits dogs), Happy Valley (is okay for walking around but not a ton of green space, close to two "dog parks"), Discovery Bay and other outlying islands (generally great for dogs, but a ferry commute to Central for owners), New Territories (Clear Water Bay, Sai Kung, etc., but quite a commute). This list isn't exclusive, but they're areas that I am familiar with.

Having a dog in HK will be an adjustment for him and you, but he'll be fine once he settles in. It just takes more time to find, and get to, good places for exercise. The island is covered in "country parks" with great hiking trails for dogs and people.

[NickyC]

Hi

My very active, two flat coated retrievers and I have been here for six weeks now, and they are settling in well. I can understand your concerns, I felt exactly the same before we travelled from the UK. For the first week I thought "What have I done bringing them to HK?", but they have been wonderful, better than me really.

They do miss the open spaces to play in, but when the weather is not so humid I'm sure they will adapt to the country parks here. I tend to keep them occupied with a bit of indoor training and playing fun games with them. I'm always amazed at how much they enjoy extracting the contents of a treat ball or kong.

There are plenty of pet shops selling the well known brands of food and toys. I live in Repulse Bay and have tended to walk the dogs short distances in the cooler parts of the day because they are just not used the humidity. There are plenty of Vet practices to choose from.

We arrived two days before the dogs did, and their bedding, toys etc were ready and waiting for them when they arrived. It seemd to help the transition.

We could not find any adequate serviced apartments which accepted dogs, but were shown a great number of apartments and duplexes which were dog friendly. My main concern was that in a few of the larger apartment blocks that if you wanted to transport the dogs to your apartment that you would either need to use the stairs or the service lift.

I may have rambled on, but hopefully you might have found something of interest.

[smelly]

You may want to stay in the Shama Serviced apartments since they allow pets, while you look for a place in HK.

Our dog made a very smooth transition to life in HK. We live near a country park and dogs are allowed off leash there.

[nina_70]

It's totally possible to keep a dog in Hong Kong as long as you have the time to walk him (which is true for dogs just about anywhere!). There are plenty of places which accept dogs...just make sure your renting agent asks about this up-front. Both the building plus the landlord must accept.

For living areas, you can choose to live in "greener" areas of the city, either close to a Country Park, or one of the Islands (Park Island, Lamma, Lantau) or Sai Kung which will give you plenty of access to outdoor space. Dogs are allowed off-leash in all the Country Parks (as long as they are under control, of course). Or, if you live in the city, taxi's will take dogs (for a $5 fee) so you can get to a Country Park for walking and hiking.

Another link here:
http://www.geoexpat.com/forum/list-d...ly-t15060.html