Seocho-gu Operates 'Pet Dog Care Shelter' During Lunar New Year Holiday

Seocho Animal Love Center to Operate 'Companion Dog Care Shelter', First-Come-First-Served Registration from 17th... For Registered Small to Medium Dogs Over 5 Months... Priority for Adoptive Families of Abandoned Dogs and Low-Income Households

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seocho-gu announced that it will operate a "Pet Dog Care Shelter" during this year's Lunar New Year holiday period (January 29 to February 2) to ease the burden of pet dog care for owners who leave their homes to visit their hometowns.

The district has provided care spaces since 2019 for pet owners who worry about the cost of leaving their dogs at private care facilities during holidays such as Lunar New Year and Chuseok.

Applicants must be registered in the district and have small to medium-sized dogs over five months old that are free from infectious diseases, illnesses, pregnancy, or heat cycles. Priority for application is given in the following order: ▲Seocho-gu residents who have adopted abandoned dogs (1st priority) ▲low-income households (2nd priority) ▲adoptive families from Seocho Animal Love Center and Seocho-gu residents (3rd priority).

During the holiday period, experienced and professionally qualified caretakers (pet sitters) will be stationed at the Seocho Animal Love Center, where they will monitor the dogs’ condition through patrols and CCTV. The professional caretakers will provide comprehensive care including feeding, toileting, and play, and will coordinate with a 24-hour animal hospital to respond to emergencies such as illness or injury.

Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis from the 17th to the 27th. To apply, applicants must visit the Seocho Animal Love Center with the required documents. The consignment fee is a minimum of 5,000 KRW to cover cleaning and disinfection costs. For more details, contact the Seocho Animal Love Center or the Seocho-gu Office Job and Economy Division.

Meanwhile, to create a "Happy Seocho where people and animals live together," the district has promoted various pet policies centered around the Seocho Animal Love Center. Notably, in 2020, it was the first local government to operate a "COVID-19 Confirmed Patient Pet Dog Care Service" for those infected with COVID-19 who had no family to care for their dogs. Other representative programs include the "Seoripul Rainbow Group," a psychological counseling service to help overcome pet loss; "Pet Family Day," a meeting for dogs adopted from the Seocho Animal Love Center; and "One-Day Classes" for making pet crochet items such as waste bags and scarves.

This year, in line with the non-face-to-face trend due to COVID-19, the Seocho Animal Love Center plans to offer various programs such as "1:1 Customized Dog Behavior Correction Training" via video platforms (Zoom) without requiring visits.

Cheon Jeong-wook, Acting Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, "We hope pet families will leave their dogs at the care shelter during the Lunar New Year holiday and spend the holiday with peace of mind," adding, "We will continue to work to establish a mature pet culture and create a Seocho where people and animals live happily together."

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