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[anyhoohb]

My husband and I are considering getting a dog.  I am currently not working while my husband is, and would enjoy the companionship while he is away.  Being new to Korea, I'm not sure how easy it is to have a pet here.  Can you travel with small dogs on the subway or buses?  What about trains?  Are most hotels dog-friendly?  How common are dogs here?  Does dog-sitting cost a lot, what are kennels like here?

I just want to make sure I'm ready to take on the extra responsibility a pet adds to your life.  And while I'd love a dog, my husband and I would like to be able to travel around Korea still - how easy is it?

[palladium]

You could consider fostering a dog. Traveling with small dogs is usually okay by metro subway. It's do-able, especially if you have a little carry bag or carrier case, where your dog will be contained and people can see that (that's the important part). Easy enough to get through subway turnstiles with a dog. Nobody will stop you usually, just try not to draw attention to you. I think it's not really allowed, but it's not something really enforced it seems. Traveling on intercity trains like the KTX is not a problem, so long as the dog is in a bag or carrier.

Don't know about hotels. Think it's likely they aren't going to be as accommodating, but again, if you have a carrier it might be okay. Kind of a case by case thing I think. I've stayed in a min-bak with two small dogs and they weren't fussed about it. But it'd  be better if you have a car and can keep them in the car instead. Small dogs can easily be put into "dog hotels" anywhere. Vet clinics and dog grooming places usually board animals. Cost varies, but perhaps W15,000~20,000/day. Care seems to be good. Pick a place you've seen many times, passed by, or get recommendations from others. Or you can post and find people to take care of your dog, perhaps other pet owners.

Why not try looking for a short-term foster for a while? People sometimes look for that, when they're in a jam or have to go home for a while etc. Or check out www.animalrescue.org. Great cause. They look for people to volunteer, foster and adopt strays. Website is in English and there's a lot of info relevant to pet owners in Korea. And, if you want any other info, you can send me a message.

[Nottanya]

If you are thinking of owning a dog, please don't forget to adopt from a shelter.  http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/... Don't buy one. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GNTfHdXMI
I think MOst Koreans love the little dogs.

[AfricanDream]

Hi,

having a dog is great. I'm really happy that we rescued ours,,, BUT be 100% sure of what you intend to do when you leave. Different countries have different regulations. we're flying our dog out this holiday, and when all is said and done between the flight and requirements it's costing in excess of 3 million won. More than 2 adult return fares, for her one way trip back.

Also it depends where you are. We're very rural and using public transportation with her is impossible. The locals in rural areas don't care for animals at all. Bus drivers will not allow her in the bus even in a crate, they want to put her in the luggage section under the bus, which is not going to happen, so our weekends are at home.
I love having her, but it's very restrictive.

[palladium]

Why don't you consider buying an old, used car? Quite cheap here to buy an older, used small car. Think, Kia, Tico etc, for under 3mill. Between two working people, that'd be less than 1.5mill for each person. For a couple plus pets, quite a good way to travel and see the countryside in Korea, weekends away, and even get your shopping done especially if you go to those big supermarkets like E-Mart or places like Costco, where stuff tends to be in big packages and heavy. If you live way out, probably something that would help you get around more conveniently too.

[ItaewonianJiyoung]

Hi there!

Even though I am not a dog owner but am a dog lover.
I found this blog a few days ago and talked with Simon in the email.
I have a feeling that he could answer your questions or you can take a look on expat living in Korea with a dog.
http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/about/

Also Davidpeacock has been living in Seoul with 3 dogs now...rescued dogs one by one.
You could email him for hearing his experience.

I sometimes volunteer to walk the dog-friendly ones.
Also as others say...there are many places you could find or adopt dogs in Korea.
Let me know if you want to get more info on where or which dogs are awaiting new family.

[eatyourkimchi]

Thanks for mentioning me here

My wife and I adopted a dog from a dog shelter here in Korea (the Samsong shelter, I'm pretty sure it was).  We got a Pekingese dog, about three years old, blind in his left eye, and with a broken left hip.  He was in a car accident before we got him is what the veterinarian guessed.  All we know is that he's ugly as sin but we love him anyways.

To answer your questions:

1) It's easy to travel on subways and buses with dogs.  We always have our dog on a leash.  He sits on our laps on the subway and everyone stares at him, and many try to pet him.  The only issue we once had with public transportation was in getting on a bus.  The bus driver tried to shoo us away.  We were lucky that we brought our dog bag with us.  We put Spudgy (our dog) in the bag and the bus driver was alright with it.

2) Trains and hotels we can't really say anything about.  We haven't taken a train or gone to a hotel yet.  We're starting to plan our vacation for winter, though, and we plan on taking our dog with us.  If you want, we can email you with our updates on whether the hotels accept our dogs or not. 

3) Dogs are common here.  Dog-sitting and kennel costs we can't vouch for, either, since we take our dog with us everywhere.

Anyhow, get in contact with us at http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/contact.  We'll let you know the hotel situation once we start calling hotels around Korea and asking them if they'll let us bring our dog.  If you want to see what the shelter looked like, or just know more about dog life in Korea, check out our posts on http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/index.php?categories=Spudgy.  We've got a bunch of videos that'll surely convince you that a dog's well worth it.