I don't think Sai Kung is such a bad option - the minibus to Choi Hung station is pretty quick and from there it's only a few stops to MKK. This all also depends on WHERE in MKK the OP's hubby is working - if close/on the far side of the red line then it's a pita to walk from East Rail station - done that many times and always surprises me how far it is! Plus - if you have kids - GET THE SCHOOLS SORTED FIRST. Hubby may have to just lump it - getting into a school here is really hard, so you'd want that sorted first.
EDIT - if hubby is working on the Olympic side of MKK, you may even want to look at Gold Coast. There is a resident shuttle direct to Olympic MTR in peak hours on weekdays - 20 mins or so. Many international kindies there; good accommodation and I think dog friendly (probably have to be a ground floor beach house though - not sure if they like dogs in the apartments). The better accommodation is outside the residences but then you run the risk of not being able to use the bus (although many people do use the resident shuttle even though not actually resident!).