Seoul City to Hold 'Companion Dog Practical Test' on the 12th

First Perfect Score Achieved on the Written Exam

Seoul City and Donggrami announced on the 9th that on the 12th, they will hold a practical test for 80 teams with excellent written test scores in the companion dog field at Dongdaemun Design Plaza Eoullim Madang from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with individual test times. The Companion Owner Competency Test has been held since 2019, and this year marks the 5th event. It is promoted annually to check how much people know about companion animals and to provide an opportunity to learn accurate information as a companion owner.

A total of 2,425 citizens (1,326 in the dog category and 1,099 in the cat category) participated in the 5th written test held on the 15th of last month. This year’s average written test score was 72 points in the dog category, a significant increase compared to last year’s average of 55 points, and 68 points in the cat category, similar to last year’s average of 69 points.

Above all, this year’s written test produced a perfect scorer in the dog category for the first time in five years since the first Companion Owner Competency Test was held in 2019. The top perfect scorer is Kim Eunji (aged 37), a senior dog owner living in Incheon, and the first-place winner will receive a pet stroller prepared by Donggrami as a prize.

The practical test consists of six courses: walking without pulling the leash, greeting a stranger and the owner, passing a caf? with stimuli, waiting in front of a crosswalk, controlling the dog’s behavior when a bicycle passes by, and turning left and right. Companion dogs and their owners will be evaluated for about 10 minutes by a professional dog trainer.

Yu Youngbong, Director of the Green City and Leisure Bureau of Seoul City, said, “In Lower Saxony, Germany, there is a law that you must pass a dog license test to adopt a dog,” adding, “At a time when conflicts between companion owners and non-owners are deepening, fostering mature companion owners and companion animals is more important, and we will strive to establish the Companion Owner Competency Test as a valuable experiential education event for companion owners.”