Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dogshed]

The smartest thing is to leave the dog with mom in the states but
I have to ask. How practical is it to bring a dog to Korea?

1. Shipping on the plane seems straight forward. How do I get the dog from the airport to my new place?

2. If I find an apartment that will accept my dog will they change their minds after I ship her all the way from Korea. She's large but much better behaved
than most small dogs.

3. What about boarding over a holliday. Will the boarding services be on vacation also?

4. What are vet services like.

Thanks. -Jeff

[Corporal]

You said it yourself.

[jojonii]

You will miss your pet very much, but please leave it at home with your mom.

jojonii

[dogshed]

[spike.matt]

as much as i miss my dogs, i would not bring them to this country. to find big open parks, where i can let them go off leash is virtually impossible. Korea just isn't a dog friendly country. I would recommend leaving your dog home with a relative. As for specifcs, im not sure, but i know they will NOT like the idea of a big dog (are we talking retriever size?) in their apartment. doesn't matter how well behaved it is. i miss my dogs more than most things back home, but i know they'll enjoy it more back home.

[dogshed]

In live in Kansas City, MO and most of the issues mentioned about pets in Korea are not any different than what I run into here.

People are afraid of her because she's large or they want to tease her.

People assume larger dogs are more damaging to apartments than small dogs which is not always true.

The only place to have her off leash is the dog park where she can be attacked by the crazy dog of some guy on a cell phone and I end up bit by the little thing.

What I'm hearing is that I wouldn't have any more problems than I have here in KC.

-Jeff

[quilter]

Hi Jeff,

We considered leaving our dog at home before we came, but ultimately decided to bring her. We think it was a good idea. We checked with our apartment to see if it was ok to have a dog, and it was not problem. There are lots of people who have dogs, although most of them are smaller. Our dog weighs about 20kg.
Once we arrrived it was no problem getting her from the airport to our apartment. We used a taxi van. Of course it is a bit more expensive compared to the bus or regular taxi, but it's a one-off type of thing and we didnt' have much choice. It cost about 90,000 won.
As for vet services, I have found them to be very good and we have encountered many who speak English. I guess it depends on where you live though.

As for a lack of open spaces to run your dog, I think you are going to run into that problem more and more in any country. Most public parks in Canada won't let you run your dog off the leash, and you have to go to special parks for that. If you have a dog in any big city in the world you face the same problem.

Peace and good luck,

[dogshed]

How much do they charge to ship a dog?
Is it based on size?
Going alone and then have mom send the dog later may be the best bet.

It yesterday's KC Star they said that many adoption agencies insist on a fenced yard. I think this encourages some people to just leave the dog in the back yard.

Thanks. -Jeff

[khyber]

If you really want to, you can take your dog.

the whole "dog eating thing" isn't really a pratical reality for pet owners (at least, not for me) here in korea. The ONLY people who ever talk about eating my dog are foreigners.

Vet??? Well i just had a seriously f****d up vet situation so you don't want my opinion. My basic opinion? BE VERY careful with vets...if you have ANY concerns, get them outta there. The vet we go to now is fantastic!!!

my dog (probably all dogs) don't like the flight. It's dark, scary, not REALLY warm. No food or water for quite long time. It's unpleasant. BUt it is a for a short period of time.

Finding a place? Finding a dog friendly "one room" apartment is no real bother...make sure when you get her there she is clean and brushed and lookin' good though....bows help.

re: open space for dogs? REALLY really depends where you live. we live on the side of a mountian and 80m from a moutain path so for us it's no problem at all. If you're willing to move around for your dog, you could do the same sorta thing in seoul i'd wager.

[Intrepid]

Bring your dog! One of my dogs has been to the US and back, with no problems. Both dogs enjoyed living in Kaepo-dong, in Seoul, near the Yangjae Stream and Daemo-san for walking. Now we live near Namsan park, another great place for dogs. Many such small mountain parks in Seoul and Kyonggi allow dogs. Almost all apartment buildings (as opposed to small buildings) allow dogs--in fact I bet they all do.

I posted a long time ago about the trip from Korea to the US, with a bit about the US-Korea return part
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=24509&highlight=

Vets here are great. You can just walk in, no appointment, and have them take a look, or whatever, and it's not $75 for a few drops of eye medicine.

[pocketfluff]

[RACETRAITOR]

The most important rule: pay attention to the dog-owners, not random lonely foreigners.

[tzechuk]

How long do you intend on staying here? Long-term? Just one year? What if things don't work out?

I'd say leave her with your mother for now... come here and see for yourself. You will have other opportunities to bring her over should you decide that's what's best for you.

[SuperFly]

Jeff, no matter what people say in this thread....do a search and read what others have to say on the subject.

I've been reading these boards off and on for about eight years...there've been quite a few threads on the subject. Good stuff. Woof. good luck.