A pet sitter taking care of dogs at an animal care center run by Seocho ward office. (image: Seocho Ward Office)
SEOUL, March 20 (Korea Bizwire) — What happens when a dog owner becomes a coronavirus patient and has to be quarantined for treatment?
If you are a resident of the southeastern Seoul ward of Seocho, you might have a helping hand.
The ward office on Friday announced plans to provide free care for dogs whose owners have been hospitalized to be treated for the new coronavirus.
Under the plan, dogs will be taken care of at an animal care center ran by the ward office, which can shelter up to 15 dogs, the ward office said.
“There are currently six abandoned dogs that are being sheltered so we have some room to accommodate more dogs,” said an official at the ward office’s animal welfare team.
The official, however, made it clear that precautionary measures will be taken, such as keeping the new residents at a separate space for the first few days.
The ward office also said it will provide dog food for those who have been put under quarantine and cannot afford to buy food for their pets.
The measure reflects the rise in number of households that live with pets in South Korea’s capital.
Some 20 percent of the surveyed households said they were living with a pet as of 2018, compared with 18.8 percent in 2014, according to the data from the Seoul metropolitan government.
Dogs were the most popular pets, accounting for 84.9 percent of the total, the data showed.
(Yonhap)
