A second home for your pet

Pet dogs are inside kennels at a pet hotel in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, Friday. / Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

More people utilize pet hotels during holiday seasons

By Baek Byung-yeul, Kwon Ji-youn

As the elderly population and number of single-person households increases, the estimated number of pet owners has surpassed 10 million as of this year as more people choose to keep pets in an attempt to alleviate loneliness.

As a result, pet-friendly businesses are thriving here — the market value of the pet business is estimated to be worth around 2 trillion won ($1.9 billion) as of 2013, according to a recent report by the Nonghyup Economic Research Institute. The institute forecast that this figure will increase threefold by 2020.

And among a slew of pet-friendly services recently established here, including pet insurance firms, pet funeral services and television channels for dogs, more people are utilizing pet hotels as the holiday season nears.

Irion, a local animal hospital and pet hotel, provides 24/7 care for dogs and pets that are unable to accompany their owners on trips. The Irion branch in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, offers cages and dog pounds that are air conditioned or heated 24 hours a day.

"We do our best to make sure our visiting dogs or cats are comfortable here at our facilities," said Min Byung-gwan, a service team member at Irion. "And we are very attentive to the requests of owners. For instance, if an owner asks that his or her dog be walked, we take the dog for a walk around the block.

A dog owner talks to a pet hotel desk clerk about his pet's future stay, in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, Friday.
/ Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

"We're not able to take it very far, but we understand how important walks are for stress relief."

Irion also offers a 24-hour surveillance service, through which owners are able to observe their pets' condition while they are away on a laptop computer. Pet owners are also required to sign forms regarding their dog's health and well-being, which include what measures the hotel staffers will take should the dog become ill and require immediate attention.

The cost may seem extravagant at first, but up to four puppies can sleep in the bigger cages, which are 60,000 won per night. The smaller cages, which house just one dog, costs 40,000 won, but these costs are for the peak season — prices are half-off during slower seasons.

"More and more people have been leaving their pets with us as they leave for trips, where they will stay at hotels, condominiums or pensions that do not allow pets," Min said. "In fact, I think it's desirable to leave pets with us, as it gives the dogs a chance to play with other dogs. It becomes their second home.

"The dogs are let out of their cages most of the time to play on the dog run. We also make sure to check up on their health every so often and draw up reports," Min added.

Lee Shin-young, a pet dog owner, who recently left her dog at a pet hotel during vacation, said her experience with the hotel was more than satisfactory.

"I had never used this kind of facility before because I had felt anxious about entrusting someone I don't know with my dog. But this time, I had no choice but to leave my dog at the hotel as no one else had offered to take care of her while I was away," Lee said.

Lee said she felt relieved when she found out that she can check up on her puppy's well-being during her four-day vacation through surveillance cameras positioned on the ceiling of the hotel.

"Thanks to web cameras, I was able to observe how she was doing during my vacation, and that did make me feel a lot better about leaving my dog behind," she said.

Lee said her puppy seemed to have enjoyed staying at the pet hotel, and added that she will keep using the facilities. "Though the price was a little bit higher than I had expected, I was able to fully enjoy my vacation without worrying about my dog all the while," she said.

However, not everyone leaves pet hotels feeling completely satisfied.

Another pet owner Kim Mi-hyun, who utilized a different pet hotel while she was away for a week last summer, regrets having left her dog at the hotel because her dog contracted a disease during his time there.

"Immediately after returning from the pet hotel, I found blood in my dog's stool, and he began vomiting," Kim said.

Kim rushed to the hospital and the dog underwent a checkup. "The veterinarian said he seemed to have endured high levels of stress while staying at the hotel."

As the veterinarian ordered, Kim tried to provide the most comfortable environment for her pet, and it took a week for him to recover his strength.

"As a dog cannot speak, I cannot know for sure what happened to him at the hotel. I filed a complaint with the hotel employees, but they said he didn't show any signs of discomfort during his stay," Kim said.

"I realized that this is probably one of the hardest things about being a responsible pet owner, but I just couldn't bring him on my getaway. As I know that dogs are very sensitive to environmental changes, visiting a pet hotel had been my very last option," she said.

According to a local veterinarian, who asked not to be named, pet hotels are not suitable for all dogs, as many have usually gotten used to one-on-one care, and are likely to reject strangers.

"And not all dogs are amiable," he warned. "Some dogs turn vicious when their owners are not around. The owners may think the dog is mild, but this could be an act. You need to make sure your pet is not going to be a danger to other people's pets."

According to the veterinarian, some dogs do not get along with other dogs, as they may fight each other to establish order or a hierarchy.

He advised that pet owners speak sufficiently with pet hotel staff to make sure his or her dog will fit in well with the other dogs. Health checkups are also essential prior to hotel stays, and forms should be scrutinized before signing.

"In some cases, I would suggest you look for a pet sitter, or ask your vet if they'd be willing to look after your dog for a couple of days," he advised. "But this may not be necessary as nowadays more and more hotels are becoming dog-friendly."