SB and I chose to begin our search at the Hong Kong Dog Rescue because they had a massive number of dogs of all shapes and sizes. He had more particular requirements than I did in terms of appearance so he made a list of candidate dogs from their website. Basically, my criteria was 'I want a dog that looks like it wants to steal sandwiches'. Yeah, not very clearly defined search terms but SB was able to parse out that I wanted a curious dog with the potential for naughtiness which would be managed with entertainment and challenges. I also added that it must be an adult mongrel because usually puppies and pedigrees don't have to worry about being overlooked.
SB's criteria was that the dog be friendly to other dogs and people because we live in a dense neighborhood and it wouldn't be fair to a quiet dog to thrust it into a place filled with people and pets. He also wanted a large dog that would fetch. He also said no Chow Chows or Sharpeis but I pointed out to him that this isn't the US and almost every other stray had a bit of Chow Chow and/or Sharpei. I also pointed out that one of the best dogs I had ever known was a sharpei and pitbull cross. He amended his criteria accordingly.
We filled out HKDR's online questionnaire and listed a handful of dogs that we wanted to meet. Within one or two days we heard back from Sally, the founder, that one of our dogs, Potato, was a no go. It was a rather abrupt email but later she sent an explanation that if left alone, Potato would inspect the contents of our drawers and cupboards, and most likely destroy them. So apparently Potato was my perfect dog magnified to the point that our small flat was not a good fit. Sally also told us that another potential dog was in foster care and we could visit the dogs at Whiskers n Paws in Ap Lei Chau on Sunday. In the meantime SB decided to go to the large homing center in Tai Po.
SB came home from his Tai Po visit with several photos of dogs that he had met but he was disappointed because despite meeting many big dogs, none was the right fit. He met lovely, sweet dogs who didn't seem to be as active as he wanted and were content to sit next to him and keep him company. He met active dogs who didn't seem to care that he was there and preferred the company of their friends. He met dogs that were nervous or shy and weren't ready to play yet. He met a few dogs who were worth a second look so he noted them.
At the end of the image reel were several blurry pictures of an apparently black dog. SB confessed that while walking to meet one of the large dogs he encountered a puppy that had broken free from its handler and ran up to him. She was a whirlwind of movement in the images so I had no idea what she looked like. Anyway, puppies were not on our list.
On Sunday we went to Ap Lei Chau to meet the foster dogs. We figured that these guys were more likely to be well mannered, having lived with people. We did not dismiss the Tai Po dogs, though. We also planned to return and give the dogs another chance to get to know us.
While no dog had yet to win us over from one measly visit, we were sure that the right dog for us was out there.
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