With dogs running and playing everywhere, this café sure looks like a dog’s version of a playground. When a customer enters this pet café in the trendy Hongdae neighborhood, dogs are the ones that bark out a welcoming arf. Here’s the pet café owner Heo Jun-hyeok.
People who don’t have dogs, but love them come here to play with them, and dog owners come here to let their pets play with others. So the dogs are let loose inside the café, to go wherever they wish. They could play, run, and even cuddle up in people’s arms. So I try to keep the place as empty as possible. Having lots of decorations may look nice, but my biggest concern is to give these dogs some space to play. The café is equipped with excellent ventilation and cooling and heating systems. Some dogs come here every day.
A wide range of people come to the pet café – those who bring their pets, those who love watching dogs play, and even non-pet owners who just want to hug a puppy or two.
- I come here often, about once or twice a month. When I see the puppies, I feel better.
- I come here because I love dogs. There are so many cuties here. I love it.
- I think animals are my friends and partners. I love big dogs, so I come here to see them.
- I think it’s nice that there are so many large dogs. This café is larger than other pet cafes. Dogs are my companions, like my family.
The economy may be sluggish, but pet cafes are booming. Actually, all businesses that have to do with pets have a bright prospect. More than ten million Koreans own pets now, with the volume of pet-related businesses amounting to four trillion won, or over 3.7 billion U.S. dollars. Department stores and large supermarket chains provide shoppers with pet-sitting services while they shop, and one department store even rents out strollers for pets. Facilities catering to the needs of pets and their owners are mushrooming everywhere: veterinary hospitals, pet care shops, pet hotels, pet funeral services, swimming pools exclusively for dogs, and dog training centers. Pets have become a part of our family.
Dogs are called man’s best friend. They are there to protect us and love us. Some of the canine breeds are so rare and special that they are designated national monuments. The Korean government designated the Korean Jindo Dog as Natural Monument No.53 in 1938 and the indigenous Sapsal Dog as No.368 in 1992. Dogs have accompanied the Korean people throughout the nation’s long history, and now have made it into man’s living space. Now dogs are a lot more than just the protectors of our home. Here’s veterinarian Park Jeong-yoon to tell us more.
Smaller families and single-person households have driven people to have pets. Nowadays, children live apart from their parents because of their jobs or schooling. So both the children and parents seek pets to ease their loneliness.
People get pets to keep them company or to nurture children’s emotional well-being. Pets have become our life companions, friends who are always there to share our joys and sorrows. The term “companion animals” was first introduced at an international symposium held in October 1983, a new moniker indicating the elevated status of pets. Here’s veterinarian Park Jeong-yoon again.
Pets are an outdated term. In the past pets were animals purchased to suit my personality, my taste. But now pets are family. A companion animal lives for ten to fifteen years, a pretty long time to be sharing our life. If we are to accept the animal as a member of our family, we should treat it like our mother or brother or husband. Companion animals are just that – animals that accompanies us through our life’s journey.
One department store in Yongsan, Seoul has a one-stop service center for companion animals. Here dogs and cats and other companion animals can get not only veterinary care, beauty and spa treatments, training, but also adoption services, overnight accommodations, and entertainment. The place is so popular that it sees between 400 and 500 customers on weekends. The hottest spot here is a pet kindergarten. Here’s Cool Pet Park director Oh Jae-yoon to tell us more about the center.
The pet kindergarten teaches animals used to staying home alone how to behave among other animals and humans. The owner brings in the animal in the morning and takes it back home in the afternoon. The basic training program includes eating and potty training. About 90% of our students are dogs, because cats are pretty independent by nature. The monthly fee is 400 thousand won.
The tuition for the pet kindergarten is 400 thousand won, almost as much as what parents pay to send their child to a childcare center. But high costs do not deter pet owners from sending their beloved animals to the facility. Let’s hear what those owners have to say.
- My dog used to run away from other dogs. I brought him here because I wanted him to get along with other dogs. Now he plays well with others and doesn’t bark at them as much.
- My dog wasn’t very social, because my family would go to work or to school all day. I brought him here because I felt sorry for my dog. Now he’s more social and seems to enjoy other dogs more.
Trainers or instructors teach the dogs how to eat, play, and potty train. In the process the companion animals learn how to get along with others. Since the majority of companion animals live in apartments, not in single-family homes with big yards, problems often erupt among neighbors. This is why behavioral training for companion animals is no longer a choice, but a necessity.
- My dog has anxiety attacks, so I came here to treat it. The dog barks like crazy when I try to go out. My neighbors have complained about the noise, and my dog would poop everywhere and chew my stuff. I couldn’t live like a normal person. So I brought him here to calm down a little.
- I brought my dog to be potty trained. I couldn’t housebreak him myself, but I think they can do it here.
Owners pay a large sum of money to nurture the social skills of their companion animals, because they want to spend their lives with their beloved animals. In a time of relentless competition and stress, companion animals are a source of great comfort, more so than anyone can imagine. Here’s veterinarian Park Jeong-yoon again.
Human relationships are always give-and-take. If I wanted to tell my problems to someone else, I have to consider the other party’s emotional state or other conditions. When a person is ill or emotionally vulnerable, he or she can’t be expected to be understanding of my problems. But animals are different. I can tell my pet anything and feel comfort. Animals are emotional healers, because they don’t judge me or are afraid of me. They accept me just the way I am. I trust my dog or my cat to accept me, whether I’m selfish, ugly, or even bad. I can be totally truthful and get to rely on them emotionally.
Companion animals are great listeners. They just look at you with those big, kind eyes and listen to everything you have to say. They can cuddle up and lick your face, or wag their tails and become playful, just to make you feel better. Anyone who started out with tears is bound to end up with a big smile. That’s the healing power of companion animals. Perhaps this is why many families get companion animals for their children’s emotional well-being.
When young children spend time with pets they learn how to be considerate of others. Children learn to care about other people’s feelings, so they unknowingly become more thoughtful and considerate.
Companion animals are family, life friends, and counselors, all rolled into one. It is not surprising that pet cafes where companion animals can have a good time with their owners are so in demand these days.
Since the cafe customers are all animal lovers, there is no awkwardness even when they first meet. When their pets beg for something to eat, their priority is in feeding them. It’s always cheerful and friendly in this café.
Time flies when showing off their companion animals and sharing pet care information. Office workers, who leave their pets here while they go on business trips, can have peace of mind and focus on their assignments.
I have to go on a business trip, but didn’t want to leave my dog alone. If she stayed here, she could spend time with other dogs, which is good. Of course I will miss her, but she can play here and there are other people to take care of her. So I’m not worried.
Companion animals are not confined to dogs and cats. Reptiles and fish and other rare animals also make great pets. Here’s Mr. Lee Eun-hyuk, who live with all sorts of animals.
I have a black diamond ray. It’s different from a skate. I also have an Asian arowana fish, a very expensive fish in China. There is also a Maltese, a bearded dragon, a leopard gecko, and a tortoise. I’ve never counted how many animals I have, but I’ve raised them for nearly 20 years, since I was in elementary school.
Lee’s house was too small to contain all the animals, so he had to rent a storage unit nearby. The bearded dragon may look fierce, but it is easy to raise, because it’s very tame and has a very strong constitution. The leopard gecko has movable eyelids, unlike most geckos, and makes an interesting pet. Lee has so many animals under his care that he confesses to have so far spent 100 million won on them. But it’s money well spent, says this animal lover.
A black diamond ray went for 14 million won at one time. Dragons and lizards cost millions of won. I don’t regret having spent the money, because it’s my hobby, like other people buying golf club memberships. Some people find comfort in watching the fish swim in the bowl. They are so pretty. I want to keep raising more animals. Feeding them and watching them grow is my joy and how I relax.
The companion animal market in Korea is growing. In Japan the pet market has grown to 10 trillion won. The expanding pet populations in both Korea and Japan, and in the rest of the world, in fact, are caused by aging and small households. Humans need a new family to comfort them and keep them company, and companion animals fit the role perfectly. As long as society remains as it is today, companion animals will continue to be man’s best friends.
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