Useful Phrases for Pet Owners

Always remember, if you don't feel comfortable speaking, you can simply show the server your phone and point the the phrase you need. You can also save these images to your phone for emergencies.

Although ideally we recommend visiting a vet with strong English skills, we also understand that this is often impossible. We also understand that even when a vet speaks English or an expat speaks Korean, misunderstandings still occur. We have compiled this list to empower pet owners to do their best for their fur babies in a stressful situation.

Korean Translation provided by Pyeongtaek Korean Tutors. One-on-one Korean language tutoring with a Certified Korean as a Foreign Language teacher.

Rules (and fines) for Your Doggies In Pyeongtaek

Many of us here in Pyeongtaek are raising fur babies, but sometimes it's hard to be sure exactly what the rules are.  Here are the ones that Pyeongtaek is most focused on right now. Following these laws and rules will help ensure and easier life for you and your pet.

Pyeongtaek Pet Rules / Laws:



- Be considerate of others and understand not everyone loves pets. Some people are scared of them.

- Pets must be leashed. Should be decent and appropriate in length  FINE: 100,000 won 

- Pets must be tagged. The tag must specify the owner’s name, contact number, etc.  FINE: 200,000 won

- Residents must pick up after dogs (so carry bags with you). FINE: 100,000 won

- You are required to care for the pets you adopt for their life time. Abandoned pets FINE: 1,000,000 Won.

- All pets must be registered by 3 months old. They are registered with the Pyeongtaek City Livestock Division at your nearby animal hospital. Korean's use chips to register their animals. FINE: 400,000 won. (learn more at www.animal.go.kr)

If you need more information than this: Contact the Pyeongtaek City Livestock Division at phone number 031-8024-3840~4

Dog Town Club Pet Grooming and Pet Hotel

Although I've driven past Dog Town Pet Grooming many times and I've seen their posts on FB I've never really given them much thought since my little ankle biters don't need any pet grooming. However, last night Saem (the owner and groomer) messaged me and asked me to swing by and check it out. Since I had some free time I thought, "Why not?" I mean, I'm sure there there are lots of folks in the Pyeongtaek Restaurants & Things To Do Group have dogs with long hair and might need a recommendation. Plus, I'm just generally curious. I've seen FB posts for Dog Town and I've never been able to figure out what to think.

So, last night I grabbed my soy pumpkin spiced latte at 커피에 반하다 and headed over. The shop isn't huge and it's located maybe a 5 minute drive straight out of Camp Humphreys main gate just before Korea Mart. The shop is also only open by appointment. You can't just stop in and check it out.

When I arrived it was a little awkward at first. Saem is very reserved in English. It's difficult for him and he struggles through details with diligent efforts. It's very hard for him and I know how that feels. That is me on so many days in Korean. So after torturing him with questions in English for a little bit, I decided to switch to Korean so I could learn more and help him feel more comfortable. That's when he really came out of his shell and just started talking and talking and talking about his feelings concerning dogs, vets, grooming, customer service, etc.

Which brings me to something I want to talk about, language barriers. On FB and in person it can be VERY hard for Korean's to communicate their feelings, experience, and services. Sometimes it's hard to know if you are being taken advantage of, or if it's just an in ability to clearly understand each other's intentions. Which is why I try to speak to local business owners both in English and in Korean. It gives me a better idea of who they are, what their motivations are, where their passion comes from.  Even if I can't understand 100% of what they may tell me in Korean, I can learn a great deal from their manner and use of the language which tells me a lot about who they are as people. 

That said, here are my cliff notes from my visit with Saem:

• He is passionate about what he does and deeply cares about the animals. 
• He even pays attention to their skin and their coat and will let you know if there are allergies or health issues. 
• He works with clients from Camp Humphreys and Osan because he feels a connection with Americans and their priorities for their pets. 
• Dogs that stay with him (for the pet hotel services) stay in his home and he doesn't keep them kenneled the entire time, he lets them play and roam. 
• He doesn't want to rush through a cut, he wants to do it right. This isn't his job, it's his passion.
• His specialty is Cocker spaniel cuts. 
• Big dogs are no problem for him and what he does the most.
• He wants to be affordable and fair, but also needs to charge a reasonable price since he has 25 years of experience (Which I agree with. This isn't a chop shop. This guy knows what he is doing.)  
• A basic cut for a large dog is going to run 60,000W. As you know, more demanding and complicated requests will need to be negotiated, but Saem is reasonable and he isn't' just thinking about the dollar signs. He is trying to find a balance between quality and affordability.
• For this pet hotel services, it's 20,000 per day for small and medium dogs and 40,000 per day for big dogs.  This isn't just a "leave them in a cage until I get back" situation. Although I haven't been to his house, his no-sense attitude and passion for animals makes be believe he is going to do a good job.

Here are some questions that you need to ask so that there aren't any misunderstandings with ALL dog groomers:

• Will my dog be sedated? It's a common practice to sedate dogs who get upset during grooming in order to decrease their stress, protect the groomer. This is not unique to Korea. It's done in the states as well. However, in Korea they may not ask you first and so it might be a shock to you to learn about it after the fact since we are used to having these things cleared with us ahead of time.  If you DO NOT want you dog sedated you need to be clear about this up front.  You must be clear about your expectations on this.

• If there is a change in the price, will you contact me? Sometimes what groomers begin working on the dog they discover that there are more issues than they expected. You need to make sure the groomer understands not to do anything extra without checking with you. This is a complicated part of doing business outside your own language in a new culture. 

• What does the service include? Will the toenails be clipped? Ears cleaned? etc. Be sure to understand what services are being provided. Every groomer is different and you might expect something will be done, but it's not. You also might expect something else to be left alone, but the groomer includes it in their service. 

Is Saem all cuddles and rainbows when you meet him? No. He is intense and serious, but when he starts talk about dogs you see his sincerity and it feels deeply honest. If my dogs had long hair I would bring them here at least once to try it. Honestly, this guy is super passionate about animals and taking care of them. There is also a cultural and language barrier you will need to work through. Be patient and make sure all your needs and expectations are communicated.

If you don't feel comfortable there are always other options to try.

For a Reservation text or call 010-4000-9614

J. Dog Cafe

Over the summer we were going everywhere trying to find the perfect places to play with our doggies who spend far too much time inside. Although we found many wonderful options for summer, with winter on the way I knew we needed to find ones that might offer a big more warmth.

Which is how I found the fabulous J. Dog Cafe located near my favorite new area of Pyeongtaek. This cafe has everything you need to enjoy the long winter months with your fuzzy family members. The large spacious facility offers ample outside and inside space for puppies to play. Large and small dogs are welcome and all for the cost of one drink per human who accompanies the dogs. No fee per dog. The drinks are a little pricey - ranging from 7,000 and up - but considering it costs at least 20,000w for two humans and two dogs at the larger parks and THEN we have to spend another 10,000w on coffee, this is a great deal for us.

Also, what makes J. Dog different from other cafes is the fact that they have a huge yard for the doggies to play in so it's like a park and a cafe in one space. Also, the owners both spoke English and were very kind. We felt quite welcome.

The cafe isn't only for visiting, they also have boarding options as well if you are in need of a place to leave your beloved babies over the weekend or while you are traveling. We might try leaving our doggies there in the future.

Looking forward to running into all the local expat dog owners at J. Dog this winter. We can all hangout together while hugging our puppies and mochas.

*** This listing and all other restaurants reviewed by South of Seoul can be found in the South of Seoul app which can be downloaded from Google Play and the Apple App Store. ***

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