Seongdong-gu Youth Employment and Start-up Support for Training Professional Caregivers for Companion Dogs

Through the On-Site Companion Dog Expert Network Project, trained professionals advance to companion dog service startups... Future plans include a dedicated app offering services, reviews, reservations, and secondhand trading... The company leads life-respecting classes for elementary and middle school students via Seongdong-gu's 'Onmaeul Experience Learning,' growing by utilizing local resources

Practical Training for Companion Dog Expert Certification Course

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced that young people who united last year with the common interest of being ‘banryeoin’ (pet owners) have started a business earlier this year and will soon launch a dedicated app to provide services such as care and walking support for pet owners.

The company, named ‘Tail Friends,’ is a cooperative that participated in last year’s ‘Field-type Pet Dog Expert Network’ project.

The ‘Field-type Pet Dog Expert Network’ is a project that trains professional pet dog care personnel and supports youth employment and entrepreneurship. It cultivates experts capable of performing overall on-site tasks related to pet care services such as pet sitters and dog walkers who directly walk or care for dogs, and supports self-reliance by connecting graduates to employment in pet dog businesses.

The district focused on voices from the field that, despite the increasing number of animal registrations and growing interest in pet dogs and related service industries in the region every year, related businesses suffer from a shortage of responsible experts and manpower difficulties.

To overcome the limitations of simple manpower training or employment linkage, the district committed to nurturing field-type professionals who can be immediately deployed in the pet dog service industry, supporting their growth and ensuring their full independence as a ‘stepping stone.’

Experts were trained for those with a common interest in ‘banryeoin,’ including theoretical classes covering pet culture and industry history and status, and characteristics by breed, as well as practical training such as massage, grooming, and training.

Even after training, administrative support was provided for establishing cooperatives, including consulting on establishment methods and business plans, and after starting a business, development costs for an app providing pet dog services were supported.

Additionally, in collaboration with the local professional pet care company Bau Raum, a high-quality curriculum from theory to practice was conducted. Through Seongdong-gu’s ‘On Village Experiential Learning,’ life respect classes for elementary and middle school students have been held since April, utilizing local resources to foster growth.

Going forward, Tail Friends will continue to grow by launching a dedicated application that allows easy consultation and reservation via smartphone, checking service details and reviews, and providing a secondhand trading service where members can trade pet supplies, according to district officials.

Lee Su-hyun, director of Tail Friends, said, “We received a lot of help from Seongdong-gu during the establishment of Tail Friends,” adding, “We hope to grow as a company that raises awareness of pet culture and also want to serve as a channel to introduce Seongdong-gu’s pet dog policies.”

Jeong Won-oh, mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Tail Friends is a model case established and grown together with the local community by combining youth interests and administration,” and added, “We will continue to support young people’s dreams and promote job projects that can provide practical help in overcoming employment difficulties.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.