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Reality of living with a dog in an apartment

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  1. #11

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    Also, i wasn't insinuating that you would dump a pup at all - simply pointing out that a lot of people have problems with dogs in apartments in HK, as evidenced by the number that are dumped. So my issues with dogs misbehaving when left alone in an apartment do not seem to be an isolated issue.


  2. #12

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    One adult dog whom I trained and housebroke as a puppy in another country (he was with me 24/7 as he went to work with me so we were able to do very regular walks).

    Here, I walk him at 530am before heading for work....have employed a PT dog walker who gives him a FULL hour walk at 10am and 4pm...and then I walk him again before bedtime about 1130pm. At the weekend he's under my care totally.

    I've thought about getting another dog (at present I also have a cat and they are best friends, keeping each other company) but wouldn't get a puppy because as so many have said, they need constant attention to reinforce the positive behaviour we want from our companions.

    Senior dog idea would be a good one. It's not easy having a dog in a HKG apartment and if you're looking at particular breeds, make sure you don't end up one needing a lot of exercise if you're away from home. HKDR would be a good place to start as many dogs are already housebroken through foster homing and by now the staff will know their preferred activity level.

    Good luck!

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  3. #13

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    Additionally, i do wish you the best finding a dog walker. Perhaps there are some reliable legal services, but I have not been able to find even one. But let me give you a few more examples from other dog / pet owners I know of dog walkers/ pet sitters working out poorly:

    - a neighbor went on vacation for 2 weeks to the UK. illegally left care of two cats to another neighbor's FDH (not a FDH from our housing complex, but from the neighborhood). The FDH watching the cats was summarily terminated when her employers found out she had undertaken part time work and sent packing (found out from other helpers in the neighborhood several weeks after the fact). FDH did not contact my neighbor to let him know she would be unable to continue caring for the cats. cats were starved, one went into kidney failure and subsequently died and the other was severely dehydrated and malnourished when he got back. his home was quite nearly destroyed by the smell of cat urine.

    - FDH takes on a part time job as a dog walker (this time for a colleague's dog). Things work okay for quite a while. FDH's family relocates from HK island to the NT, and FDH cannot continue walking dog. Dog owner has a vary hard time finding another (illegal) FDH to take on the position and dog is left alone too long during the day for several months until a replacement is found. Behaviour problems develop with bored dog.

    - Angry neighbor reports FDH of their neighbor who is illegally walking another neighbor's dogs because Angry neighbor does not like the dogs or their owner. Immigration visits. FDH is expelled from HK. FDH's legal employer is fined (although not hugely because they honestly didn't know she had taken up PT illegal work behind their back). FDH's illegal employer (the dog owner) is fined a large sum, threatened with jail and forbidden from hiring a legal FDH for several years. This happened recently at Bel Air.

    I could go on, but the point is that hiring a FDH illegally is a big risk and you actually can get into a lot of trouble for doing it, although plenty of people will tell you that they have done it for years with no problems. Also, if an illegal FDH does anything bad to your pet, you cannot report it because you will get into a lot of trouble for hiring her.

    I do wish you all the luck in the world in finding a dog walker, and there are some companies that do purport to do this legally, for example We Wish You Were Here ( http://www.wishyouwereherehk.com/petsit.html), although they could not find a long term daily walker for us.

    Would also like to hear from anyone who has a good, legal long-term dog walking arrangement (as our helper is going home perminently within the next year to start a family). We tried everything, high school students living closeby, the government job boards, adverts (in Chinese) in local supermarkets and even an add a local paper that my secretary helped us place and came up empty, but maybe we missed something.


  4. #14

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    Fiona in HKG, how did you find your dog walker? Thanks!


  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by elliee:
    Fiona in HKG, how did you find your dog walker? Thanks!
    I have PMd you
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  6. #16

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    Here we go again with the arguments when it comes to dogs or pets.

    "keeping a dog in an apartment all day, without human attention, while the owner is at work is unfair and borderline cruel to the dog"???? I have 4, no helper, dogs get walked 2 times a day and spend hours at night playing around in the garden, they get locked in the house 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week, lovely AC on all day, large big aquarium to look at fish n corals. Am I cruel???

    Will you give me money to have my dogs put down since I dont want to abandoned them to rescue organisations or government animal management centres and dont want to be labeled borderline CRUEL!!! WTF!!!!!!!!

    If the person is willing to have a dog and the dog is happy and not stuffed in a cage all day but allowed to roam freely in the house, has food and water available, walked daily then there is nothing wrong in that. if you keep limiting people then no wonder the shelters and org cant give the dogs out as fast as possible, yes there are some that will return but you will have more going out of the shelters.

    Oh by the way during weekends, i leave my doors open all day for my dogs so that they can go into the garden, they run out, spend a few minutes running around and then come back in and sleep for hours and hours, my big dogs on average are alseep like 18 hours in total per day. Wish I had that luxury.

    Last edited by wtbhotia; 19-09-2012 at 03:13 PM.
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  7. #17

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    Well, better for a dog to be loved 16 hours a day than not at all. Too much abuse and crap going on out there in the world towards dogs and other animals. If you can 'save' one and give it a good life and attention when you can, that's already good.


  8. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by wtbhotia:
    Here we go again with the arguments when it comes to dogs or pets.

    "keeping a dog in an apartment all day, without human attention, while the owner is at work is unfair and borderline cruel to the dog"???? I have 4, no helper, dogs get walked 2 times a day and spend hours at night playing around in the garden, they get locked in the house 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week, lovely AC on all day, large big aquarium to look at fish n corals. Am I cruel???

    ...

    If the person is willing to have a dog and the dog is happy and not stuffed in a cage all day but allowed to roam freely in the house, has food and water available, walked daily then there is nothing wrong in that. if you keep limiting people then no wonder the shelters and org cant give the dogs out as fast as possible, yes there are some that will return but you will have more going out of the shelters.
    Sounds like you're a good dog owner and I'm glad its worked out for you. But your situation seems to have several differentiating factors from the OP/ many people in HK:

    - your dogs have access to free play in a garden daily, which is hugely beneficial in terms of keeping them happy and healthy

    - you have several dogs that perhaps keep themselves company

    - I don't think you have a puppy (but even if you did it would have an opportunity to socialize all day with other dogs as it isn't on its own)

    The reason shelters have limits on who they adopt dogs out to is because of the HUGE rate of returns for pets adopted into homes with certain circumstances (in particular dogs being left alone all day). If so many pets were not returned, often in poor shape, then the shelters would not have to make these difficult rules.

  9. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by wtbhotia:
    Here we go again with the arguments when it comes to dogs or pets.

    "keeping a dog in an apartment all day, without human attention, while the owner is at work is unfair and borderline cruel to the dog"???? I have 4, no helper, dogs get walked 2 times a day and spend hours at night playing around in the garden, they get locked in the house 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week, lovely AC on all day, large big aquarium to look at fish n corals. Am I cruel???

    Will you give me money to have my dogs put down since I dont want to abandoned them to rescue organisations or government animal management centres and dont want to be labeled borderline CRUEL!!! WTF!!!!!!!!

    If the person is willing to have a dog and the dog is happy and not stuffed in a cage all day but allowed to roam freely in the house, has food and water available, walked daily then there is nothing wrong in that. if you keep limiting people then no wonder the shelters and org cant give the dogs out as fast as possible, yes there are some that will return but you will have more going out of the shelters.

    Oh by the way during weekends, i leave my doors open all day for my dogs so that they can go into the garden, they run out, spend a few minutes running around and then come back in and sleep for hours and hours, my big dogs on average are alseep like 18 hours in total per day. Wish I had that luxury.
    My boy lives in aircon too in the summer. If he hears it turned off, he starts panting!

    Thick double coat, brought up in a drier, usually cooler climate so aircon is his luxury here. He sleeps a lot too (he's almost 13) but loves his walks for woof-socialising, sunbathing, getting sand between his toes, etc. As he's an 'only dog' - he doesn't count the cat though adores him - I like him having the extra day-time walks for exercise, socialising and letting him enjoy the fresh air.

    I moved to DB from mid-levels so he could have a better quality of life

    I agree re cages, hate the things, and that dogs can be OK if left alone with the right stimulation and if they are comfortable (am only too aware of the problems my sister had with a dog who had severe separation anxiety).

    My only question is, are they OK with no toilet break for so long? Bet they all pee you a river on the first walk out after work

  10. #20

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    Sounds like you're a good dog owner
    The voice of the new self appointed dog expert......ffs