Pet Ownership in Korea

I had been putting off getting a pet for years because I knew I was planning to travel and that it might be difficult to take a pet with me but when I got to Korea and decided I would be staying a while I gave in and bought the most adorable little Yorkie Puppy - pretty sure he is actually a teacup Yorkie because the Vet said he would only get to 3kgs. I named him Socrates because he was such a smart little thing, smart interspersed with crazy, but a delight to be around.

Once my Mum made the decision to come and work here as well getting a puppy was on the top of her list of priorities...I think seeing the video's and pictures of my lovely Socrates probably helped encourage her! Mum also got a Yorkie, a little girl, who she named Nini (pronounced like knee-knee).

Where we got the puppies from:

Socrates (Sokkies for short) came from a Vet in Osan (the town my school is in) and Nini ended up coming from the same place. I thought getting a puppy from a vet was a good idea, again I have heard some horror stories about puppy mills and that the ones you can buy at the train stations have a tendency to die, at least you know if you get them from a Vet they have had relatively good conditions. I also liked the people that worked at the Vet, they seemed super friendly, and they really loved the animals.

Hatchiko came from a pet store, also in Osan, but again the place was clean and the puppies were obviously well looked after... turns out he was also a fair bit cheaper than Sokkies and Nini...because everybody seems to want Yorkies!

Cost:

Remember the dogs are pure-breeds...so quite cheap compared to western countries.
Sokkies - 450,000 won
Nini - 630,000 won (she's a girl and can be bred from hence the cost jump.)
Hatchiko: 380,000 won

This doesn't, however take into account the cost of the vaccinations and de-sexing etc... that is a process that Nini and Hatchiko are still going through. To have Sokkies de-sexed cost me 170,000 won and then by the time they have had a gazillion vaccinations which includes conditions such as canine influenza, rabies, and "the brain disease" which I am still not 100% clear on! All of these shots are a good idea, first to protect the doggie, second because if you want to take them out of the country at any point then the vaccinations and paperwork are already done. All up I probably spent 400,000 won again on Vet bills.

Vets:

Sokkies and Nini went / go to the same Vet in Osan, Hatchiko goes to a vet in Byeongjeom which is closer to our house an the one thing I have to say about Vet's in Korea is... They are lovely! They make such an effort so speak English, translate things for you, and generally make sure you understand what is happening. The one in Byeongjeom actually has excellent English so it is a little easier for him! They also send you a text message the day before you have a scheduled visit to make sure that you don't forget and my Osan vet even sends me a message a day before I have to put the heart-worm stuff on Sokkies' neck. The Vet in Osan would also always remember both my name, the name of the dog...and then mum's name and the name of her dog too.

Clothing and accessories:

If you are anything like me this will probably be your biggest cost in the end! Clothing...e.g. jackets are a bit of a must for a tiny dog given how cold it gets here... it's an excuse but I am running with it! The vet's all sell clothing and all other possible bits and pieces that you could need, as do big department stores like Lotte Mart and E-Mart, there are pet stores spotted EVERYWHERE, but the best place to by the clothes is from the street vendors around the streets in Seoul or near the subway....sooooo much cheaper. Socks and boots are also easy to get...though I haven't tried those yet! People here are potty about their pets so you can really find anything you could ever imagine that you might need.

Because most people here also live in apartments things like "puppy pads" are easy to get. Basically they are a plastic tray, with a plastic lid full of tiny holes and on the inside you put an absorbent pad so that when the puppy does his or her business the liquid is absorbed and everything else is easy to pick up. We, unfortunately, are still at the toilet training stage so dealing with the occasional accident!

Below are the links to the video's I have been putting together of the adventures of our little puppies... starting with The adventures of Socrates, and then more recently, The adventures of Socrates Part 2!

The Adventures Of Socrates:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIM-LDFx7oM

The Adventures Of Socrates Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTW8lY-Kk7k

I had so much fun putting those video's together and I am so glad I bought a video camera to do so!