Who Takes Care of Dogs When Traveling Abroad During Holidays? 'Pet Sitter' Fees Soar

Rising Pet Sitter Popularity Due to Pet Hotel Cost Burden
Some Local Governments Operate Dog Care Shelters During Lunar New Year Holiday

# Han Soyeon (28, pseudonym), a dog owner raising two dogs, decided to hire a pet sitter during the Seollal holiday period. Han said, "I am going on a trip to Japan during the holiday, but since there was no one to take care of my dogs, I hurriedly hired a pet sitter." She added, "I originally planned to leave them at a pet hotel, but not only was it fully booked, I was also worried that the dogs might get stressed in an unfamiliar environment, so I hired a pet sitter."

The Seollal holiday period is a time when pet sitters' rates surge. While more people leave their homes to visit their hometowns or travel, there are not enough people to take care of the pets left alone.

"Looking for Pet Sitters During Seollal Holiday" Job Posts Increase

[Image source=Pixabay]

Just before the Seollal holiday, pet sitter job postings flooded pet communities. A pet sitter is a compound word combining "pet" and "sitter," referring to a person who takes care of pets. They visit either their own home or the client's home to care for and manage pets.

Pet owner A, who posted a pet sitter job before the holiday, said, "I found someone to pet sit before the holiday. Some guests have severe allergies, so I had to leave my dogs with someone." They added, "I considered leaving them at a hotel, but the distance was far and the cold weather was a concern, so I decided to hire a pet sitter."

Pet sitter job posts are very popular, often marked as "position filled" within a day. Although pet hotels are an option, the cost is not insignificant, and the competition for reservations is fierce, leading more people to seek pet sitters during the Seollal holiday.

In the past, pet sitters were introduced through acquaintances. However, as the pet population increased, demand for pet sitters surged, and recently, pet sitter intermediary platforms have emerged. Pet sitters post their experience and profiles on these platforms, and users select and book a pet sitter, with prices around 20,000 to 40,000 KRW per night.

Local Governments Also Operate 'Pet Dog Care Shelters'

[Image source=Pixabay]

As demand for pet care increases during the holiday period, local governments are also providing support. Seocho-gu in Seoul operates a "Pet Dog Care Shelter" to ease the burden on dog owners who leave their homes to visit their hometowns during the Seollal holiday. Seocho-gu has been operating this shelter since 2019 for residents who leave their homes during holidays.

Nowon-gu is similar. Nowon-gu has been operating a pet dog care shelter for six years since Chuseok 2018. This was started to prevent the occurrence of abandoned dogs during the holiday period and to reduce the cost burden of pet hotels for pet owners planning to return home.

Meanwhile, according to Article 8 of the Animal Protection Act, one must not abandon a pet just because they can no longer keep it. Violating this and abandoning an animal can result in a fine of up to 3 million KRW under Article 46, Paragraph 4 of the Animal Protection Act.