Seoul City to Recruit 60 Middle-Aged and Older 'Companion Dog Care Specialists'

Opportunities to Register and Work as a Petsitter on a Pet Care Matching Platform After Completing Job Training

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul 50 Plus Foundation announced that it has prepared a new job model called the ‘50+ Pet Dog Care Specialist Matching Support’ project, which allows middle-aged and older generations with experience in pet care to participate, and will recruit participants starting from the 16th.

As the era of 10 million pet-owning households has arrived, the demand for pet behavior correction, protection, and management is also increasing. The target of the ‘50+ Pet Dog Care Specialist Matching Support’ project is Seoul residents aged 40 to 67 who have experience raising pet dogs. This year, a total of 60 ‘50+ Pet Dog Care Specialists’ will be selected in two rounds, with the first round recruiting 30 people through the 50+ portal (50plus.or.kr) until the 2nd of next month.

The finally selected ‘50+ Pet Dog Care Specialists’ will receive professional pet sitter training and then be registered as pet sitters on the pet care matching platform (Pet Planet) to work as entrusted pet sitters.

Once registered as entrusted pet sitters through the Seoul 50 Plus Foundation, various benefits are provided. To improve their skills during pet sitting activities, one free walking practice session worth 100,000 KRW is offered, and free consultations worth 30,000 KRW are also provided for their own or nearby pet dogs. Pet sitting supplies such as nose work blankets, deodorants, and waste bags are additionally provided.

CEO Kim Young-dae said, “Many single-person households leave their pet dogs alone during the day due to work, outings, or travel, and the 50+ generation with pet-raising experience will be a great help to these people,” adding, “We will continue to discover new job and activity models that can utilize the experience and know-how of the 50+ generation.”