(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Se-rin = As the number of pet owners who are away from home due to returning home or traveling during the Chuseok holiday increases, the demand for various care services, from dog hotels and kindergartens to 'pet sitters' who visit homes, is growing.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 24th, the number of consignment management businesses that take care of companion animals was 5,796 last year, an increase of about 20.2% from 2023 (4,820 places).
During the same period, the number of people working in the consignment management industry increased by about 22.8% from 6,115 to 7,510.
The number of consignment management business locations in the metropolitan area (Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon) totaled 2,954, accounting for the majority, or 51.0% of the total.
Last year, there were 24,384 pet businesses, of which the consignment management business accounted for 23.8%, the second largest by industry after the animal grooming business (44.5%).
This can be interpreted as the fact that many guardians are concerned about their pets' emotional anxiety or lack of care when they have to leave home for long periods of time, such as during the holidays.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Institute of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Institute of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for the 'Animal Welfare Policy Participation Group' consisting of 1,000 citizens, 'emotional anxiety' was cited as the biggest concern at 44.8% when leaving pets at home and going out for long periods of time. ‘Gap in care’ was 41.8%, and ‘occurrence of safety accident’ was 18.2%.
There were many restrictions on traveling with pets. 57.0% of respondents cited 'restrictions on accommodations' and 29.4% cited 'restrictions on movement' as difficulties, leading to a demand for foster care services when it is difficult to accompany them in person.
◇ From visiting pet sitters to public consignment… Diversification of care services
The use of ‘visiting pet sitter’ services, where professional caregivers visit homes directly to look after pets, is also increasing in use.
It is attracting attention as an alternative for owners of large dogs that are difficult to leave in foster care facilities that focus on small dogs, or pets that are stressed in unfamiliar environments.
As a result of NHN Data analyzing the installation growth rate of the top 15 pet-related apps over the past year as of September 2024, pet sitter and pet care brokerage platform 'Petbom' ranked second in growth rate, increasing by about 15% compared to the previous year.
The service allows guardians to reserve a pet sitter through the platform, and the sitter visits them while they are away from home to clean up their bowels, provide food and water, play indoors, and take walks.
The care process can be checked in real time through the app. Some services provide care logs containing live videos, walking routes, photos and videos, etc.
In response to related demand, pet sitting apps ‘Howlgo’ and ‘Wayo’ are also segmenting their care programs and expanding their service areas.
Local governments also operate public pet care services for citizens who are away from home for long periods of time due to unavoidable circumstances such as holidays or hospitalization.
Starting in 2022, the city of Seoul has been operating a ‘My Neighborhood Pet Consignment Center’ where socially disadvantaged people can leave their pets when they are away from home for a long period of time.
This year, the number of participating autonomous districts increased from 17 last year to 24, and free consignment is supported for up to 10 days.
Citizens who wish to use it can inquire at the animal protection department of their local autonomous district and visit the designated consignment facility with their pet by bringing proof of social underprivileged status and animal registration certificate.
Gangnam-gu, which has about 47,000 registered pets and the highest fostering ratio among autonomous districts in Seoul, operates a separate ‘dog care shelter’ to celebrate Chuseok.
A total of 50 animals will be selected from residents by the 5th of next month and kept for free for up to 5 days during the holiday period.
In order to provide priority support to families with large gaps in care during the holidays, the district designated families who adopted abandoned dogs as first priority, and vulnerable groups such as recipients of basic livelihood security, the second-lowest class, and single-parent families, and the disabled as second priority. General residents were ranked 3rd, and in the same ranking, those eligible were selected according to the order of application.
