Seoul City Supports Adoption of Stray Dogs and Animal Care Education... Provides Animal Insurance, Gifts, and Counseling Assistance

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As public interest in abandoned animals increases, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is strengthening support for abandoned animal adoption by providing assistance from adopting abandoned dogs to animal safety insurance, adoption gifts, and animal care education.

On the 27th, according to Seoul City, a total of 12 institutions and organizations, including the Seoul Animal Welfare Support Center, district animal protection centers, and adoption centers, announced support for abandoned animal adoption. The Seoul Animal Welfare Support Center (Mapo Center) conducts adoption after completing health checkups, vaccinations, neutering surgery, and animal registration for adopted animals. Additionally, abandoned animals can be adopted at district animal protection centers, Gangdong Ribbon Center, Seocho Animal Love Center, and Nowon Companion Animal Culture Center.

Citizens can receive support for subscribing to abandoned dog safety insurance when adopting abandoned animals in Seoul. This year, the ‘Abandoned Dog Safety Insurance’ was launched in cooperation with DB Insurance, covering disease and injury treatment costs as well as liability compensation. Also, citizens adopting abandoned dogs will be provided with urine test kits on a first-come, first-served basis, and health checkup reservation vouchers will be supported through a lottery.

The abandoned dog safety insurance can be subscribed through adoption institutions or insurance companies without age restrictions or disease history limitations for the abandoned dogs. According to the 2019 Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ public awareness survey on animal protection, the most common reason for difficulty in adopting abandoned animals was “concern about possible diseases” at 43.1%, indicating that support for abandoned dog safety insurance is expected to effectively reduce adoption burdens.

Furthermore, adoption gift boxes are also available. The city has signed an agreement with Samsung Card to provide adopting citizens with “Daengdaengi Box” and “Nyangnyangi Box” worth about 50,000 KRW, consisting of feed, snacks, and more. There are gift boxes for dogs and cats, which can be applied for through the ‘Ajinyangi’ app. Gangdong, Geumcheon, Nowon, Seodaemun, Yeongdeungpo, and Eunpyeong districts also support adoption fees for lost and abandoned animals within 250,000 KRW.

In particular, abandoned animals adopted from the Seoul Animal Welfare Support Center can receive one-on-one customized counseling and education on various situations encountered at home after adoption. Not only adopting citizens but also any citizens interested in animals can receive various education programs such as abandoned animal adoption and care education, animal socialization and etiquette education, problem behavior correction education, and animal protection experience classes through the online ‘Seoul Companion Animal Citizen School’ operated by the center.

Meanwhile, last year, 6,378 abandoned animals occurred in Seoul, of which 35.4% (2,260 animals) were adopted or donated, and 15.8% (1,007 animals) were euthanized. Compared to 2019, adoption and donation increased by 1.5 percentage points, while the euthanasia rate decreased by 4.5 percentage points, indicating that the culture of animal protection is spreading.

Park Yumi, Director of the Citizen Health Bureau, said, “Although the adoption rate of abandoned animals is improving, about one in six abandoned animals is still being euthanized,” and added, “We hope more citizens will take interest and participate in adoption.”

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