The number of South Korean households raising pets has risen gradually in recent years, a survey showed Thursday. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Korean households raising pets has risen gradually in recent years, a survey showed Thursday.
About 28.1 percent of 5,000 households have dogs, cats or other pets, according to the survey done by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency last month.
About 24.1 percent said they had dogs and 6.3 percent said they had cats, with 1.4 percent saying they had other pets.
The proportion has been rising steadily from 17.9 percent in 2012 and 21.8 percent in 2015.
About 44 percent said they received their pets from their friends or relatives as gifts, while 19.7 percent said they bought the animals from their friends or relatives.
About 21.3 percent said they bought their pets at shops.
Expenses for raising pets amounted to less than 100,000 won (US$93) per month for 70.3 percent of those polled.
About 26.3 percent said they spent between 100,000 won and 300,000 won to raise pets every month, while 2.6 percent said they spent between 300,000 won and 500,000 won every month for their pets.
Most (59.9) of those polled said they would use funeral facilities when their pet died.
About 82.2 percent said they use leashes when outside with their dogs.
Among those who did not use leashes, 30.8 percent said their dogs did not like to be on a leash, while 29 percent said they did not know of the regulations that require dogs to be on a leash outside.
About 33.5 percent said they had registered their dogs with relevant authorities. The figures compare with 8.2 percent for 2012 and 25.3 percent for 2015.
Also, about 87 percent were for neutering stray cats to reduce their growing number.
(Yonhap)
