[goleoboy]

I'm bringing 2 dogs from NYC to HK in a couple weeks, I'm a little worried about the extreme hot / humid weather in HK and how they may adapt. Has anyone's dogs experienced health problems adapting to the HK weather? how about the HK pollution... a bit worried they may not be able to breathe or something...

[hello_there]

Originally Posted by goleoboy

I'm bringing 2 dogs from NYC to HK in a couple weeks, I'm a little worried about the extreme hot / humid weather in HK and how they may adapt. Has anyone's dogs experienced health problems adapting to the HK weather? how about the HK pollution... a bit worried they may not be able to breathe or something...

Pollution has not been an issue at all. One of my dogs (short haired mut) has had no problems adjusting. The other (double coated, similar to a German shepherd) has had some issues with the heat (not life threatening or anything) so we just make sure to do our longer walks in the early morning or late evening. On the weekends we try to get to a beach or one of the dog swimming pools in New Terratories. During the day, the dogs stay home in the air conditioning, with short walks. Also, keeping the dog well brushed, or trimmed short if appropriate for the breed, helps quite a bit. I had a vet tell me once that if you wet the dogs ears before going out in the heat the evaporation also helps the dog cool itself. Not sure how much it helps though. Your dogs should be fine - just try not to push them too hard before they get used to the heat. If you're comming from NYC the difference won't be that huge.

[lulumay]

Isnt NYC just as hot and humid in summer?

[Sleuth]

Originally Posted by hello_there

If you're comming from NYC the difference won't be that huge.

Are you kiddin' me? NYC is nowhere near this hot and humid.
My parents in CT said last weekend the weather was about perfect and that was echoed by friends on the Cape.
Most of the US isn't this hot and humid. The guy who runs our office is from FL and he says this is a lot like SW FL only more.
Couldn't resisit this. The high forecast in NYC is 29 and the low is 17. I would bet we haven't seen 17 in HK since March. Also the air pollution for NYC has been "good" and "moderate" and I think the US uses the scale that paints the truer picture.

[PC_Man]

Simple common sense and they'll be fine.

Try to make walkearly in morning or late in evening.
Bring lots of water for them (and remember to give it to them...)
Mak sure they have plenty of shade when at home and if necessary use the aircon for them.
Don't leave them in cars whilst you nip off somewhere.
If down at beach or seawater areas - remember they need fresh water to drink even if sea is keeping them cool.

[hello_there]

Originally Posted by Sleuth

Are you kiddin' me? NYC is nowhere near this hot and humid.
My parents in CT said last weekend the weather was about perfect and that was echoed by friends on the Cape.
Most of the US isn't this hot and humid. The guy who runs our office is from FL and he says this is a lot like SW FL only more.
Couldn't resisit this. The high forecast in NYC is 29 and the low is 17. I would bet we haven't seen 17 in HK since March. Also the air pollution for NYC has been "good" and "moderate" and I think the US uses the scale that paints the truer picture.

I said that the difference won't be that huge between NYC and here. Average July temperature in NY is around 90 degrees F. Its about 93-94 here (agreed with a bit more humidity). CT and the Cape are hardly as hot as the City - no concrete to hold in the heat and block the breeze.

Either way, its hot for dogs in NYC, its hot for dogs here
and you have to take similar precautions to keep especially the hairyer ones cool in the summer.

[Sleuth]

Okay, I know this is picky but the average high temp for July in NYC, according to NY.com, is only 85. http://www.ny.com/general/weather.html
Most the time in HK I am waking up with temps around that high. Further, the average NYC low is 68. That means that high temp probably isn't reached until mid-afternoon and that most of the day is spent in the 70s whereas in HK it is spent in the 80s. Today it was 91 on my balcony at 630 pm. I have seen my thermometer hit 100 in the shade and 118 in the sun.
Plus, as we previously agreed, it is a lot more humid here and as I pointed out earlier the air pollution here is worse than NYC. The dogs are in for a rude awakening.
But you're right in that both places are a lousy place to have a fur coat on in the summer.

[goleoboy]

Yeah, that's what I feel as well - in NYC, the day gets hot but only a few hours - then it cools down dramatically - like 70's. But in HK it's over 80 degrees 24hrs/7days a week. They are smaller dogs - so they stay home pretty often. Do you guys keep your aircon on at home for your dogs while you're out then? Isn't that super expensive? Thanks for all the advise.

[goleoboy]

NYC pollution honestly is non-existent... it's clear blue skies almost every single day (since not much contruction anymore...) except for days when it's stormy/rainy but that's weather... not pollution though. Maybe living in areas like Park Island or Sai Kung would help... does living closer to the water help with the temp??

[Sleuth]

We came from Atlanta which (a year or so ago, anyway) was #9 on the coveted "Most Air Pollution in the USA" list. You never noticed it like you do here. Having said that, industrial China is a million times worse than here. We've noticed that living in the NT is hotter than Central because you often have no choice but to take the full wrath of the sun. In Central (if you really wanted to) you could dodge the sun all day because of the buildings. That's why our balcony heats up to maybe 120. Now if you could live in a place that was shaded by trees and surrounded by grass, that would be cooler.
Sorry, I don't own a dog so I don't have to keep the AC on for it. But my wife and baby are home most days and I don't think, looked at as a monthly bill, the AC/electricity charge is any worse than in Atlanta. However, we live in a smaller place and each room has an individual AC control so we don't have the whole place on at once. Also, they bill you every two months so the bill looks bigger. But I compared my last bill with my bills over the years in Atlanta and they are about the same.