구청들 추석연휴 맞아 반려견 쉼터 열어

Pet owners who had to travel during Chuseok but couldn't afford pet hotels might have found the holidays tough,... but some district offices have decided to help pet owners by looking after their dogs.
Our Kim Bo-kyoung has details.
These days, we can see pets everywhere.
According to a report by KB Financial Group last year, one out of four families have a pet and more than 75 percent of pets were dogs.
But traveling with dogs is difficult,... forcing many pet owners to leave their pets behind during the holiday season.
People worried about their dogs while they are gone,… can use dog hotels and kindergartens,... where their pets can build their social skills, and do a range of activities to relieve their stress.
However, these services can be quite expensive,… and this is the reason why district offices have offered pet care services during Chuseok.
Two district offices, Seocho-gu and Nowon-gu provided public dog shelters for five dollars per stay.
"We decided to open dog shelters during the holiday season to prevent people from abandoning their dogs and for people who cannot afford private pet-care facilities."
Thanks to these district offices offering public dog shelters at affordable prices, local pet owners can enjoy their holiday without worrying about their pets.
Dogs needed to be at least four months old and have their vaccines up to date to be registered.
Pregnant dogs or dogs that were sick couldn't stay at the shelters.
Nowon-gu district office made temporary dog shelters with a playground, fences, and waste pads.
Seocho-gu district office hired qualified staff to look after the pets.
"Qualified workers train dogs to sit, wait and lie down. We also give them toilet and social skills training. If an emergency happens after the workers go home, associated vets nearby will take care of them."
Seocho-gu district office used a local dog hotel. It had originally planned to use a public pet center which looks after abandoned dogs, but that center needed to be fumigated so the district office made alternative arrangements at the last minute.
As people who think of their dogs as members of their family increase,... district offices are following the trend and are providing public pet services as best as they can.
Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.