Why do teachers get pets in Korea?

have to agree with this.....I`ve noticed quite a number of threads recently from posters on here trying to get rid of their pets as they`re leaving at the end of their short stint here. Pretty sad to see as It`s not great for the pet to be hoarded around all the time every year when a teacher decides to up and leave....fair play to those who try to take their pet back home with them but it`s very uncommon by the looks of things.

Indeed. My sister has a clause in her will leaving me with her dog and a whack of money if I agree to take care of it well. In the event that her whole family died that would mean me getting the house with the dog. Now *that* animal is indeed precious. No chick or duckling in a Korean market is.

I think people don't realize the amount of commitment involved when it comes to having a pet. I cringe a little when I see a person posting an ad in hopes of getting their bundle of fur taken off their hands.  Animals are social creatures, they will want your time and attention and they will provide you with lots of love! Sure, sometimes they can suck royally, my pups are house broken but occasionally my one pup will leave a turd bomb when she gets really jealous or I piss her off, lol. They have their own personalities, haha. I have adopted two pups in Korea (at different times) and before I committed to this decision I researched what I needed to know about taken a dog back home.

Thanks for sharing what you wrote. You definitely point out the pitfalls in owning a pet that people just don't really think about. I hope that this reaches many people and "sticks" in their mind!

A lot of sense being talked here. It strikes me as cruel that so many people here for such a short time, living a certain kind of lifestyle not at all conducive to pet ownership, get pets. Reminds me of the old British charity (I forget which one...) slogan "a dog is for life, not just for Christmas". If you want something cute and furry to play with for a few months, get a teddy bear.

I can't agree with you more.  People need to make sure they can adopt a pet given their apartment situation and school.  People need to make sure they can take their cat with them. Granted sometimes there will be an unfortunate situation but most of the time this situation can be avoided.

Great post. Preach on.

Cat ownership's not that tough in Korea, so long as you're realistic and fairly responsible. They can take care of themselves (given a supply of food and water, that is) for several days. For anything longer, I'd recommend checking out Animal Rescue Korea if you don't have any friends who can take care of them for you. At the ARK site, you can possibly find someone nearby who will sit them for a small fee.

If nothing else, at least let them stay at a Vet's. They may be put into a kennel or cage, but the decent vets will always clean/feed and take them out of the box for a while each day that you're gone.

one of the better thread titles i've seen in a while.

My sister has a clause in her will leaving me with her dog and a whack of money if I agree to take care of it well.

So, uh, how much money are we talking about here?  ;)

Bosintang party!  ;)

In simple reply to the op and skipping any fastidious judments, assumption or moralising on other ppl's lives, there are 2 reasons why they get pets

1.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXILzUpVx7A

2.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_9QhRzJEs

Ciao Belli.  bacci bacci  ;)

Bumping this after the latest thread about an animal being passed from foreigner to foreigner. 

I'm truly flabbergasted that there's foreigners out there who will get a dog, keep it for a year or two, then move back home and leave the dog here. I'm not even arguing on the dogs behalf, that's argument's been firmly established. But how do you do that? How do you make a relationship to a pet, then just walk out a door? You've spent the last 1-2 years caring for that pet and making its needs a daily event for you. You feed it, walk it, sleep with it, and probably even argue with it. But then you just get up, say goodbye and walk out the door?
How do you not plan for bad things to happen? How do you not plan for that one night you may get arrested and deported and therefore need to take your dog home with you? Even considering those long term plans?

This topic really makes my blood boil. It's so incredibly selfish.

Agreed. I think it's so irresponsible when teachers get pets if they are fully aware that they don't plan to stick around long-term.

Yes, I don't understand it either. It makes me really, really angry. I hate it because I am a foreigner who has a dog in Korea, and I would hate for anyone to think that I would do such a thing to my own dog. We brought our dog over with us to Korea from Canada and refused to leave him behind. In September, we are supposed to leave at the beginning of the month but have extended our contract in order to get him on the same plane with us back home (airport weather restrictions). There really are no excuses for foreigners who buy pets and then pawn them off to the next person who thinks he's cute. 

Yup,  I have to agree with the general concensus...

There are certainly some people here who are pitiful animal owners,  we've all met them.   Being in a foreign country just compounds the problem.  I just really feel sorry for the dogs involved,  as we know they take on some of the characteristics of the owners,   what poor animal deserves that...

For the good animal owners, kia kaha....   you have my respect,  because  you must be missing out on a lot of cool weekends away exploring different places...    and no you're not a cool owner if you pawn you're animals off to your friends while you go away for the weekend or even a vacation for a second think.     You're actually just taken advantage of someone elses better nature,  don't for a second think you're not getting talked about

In September, we are supposed to leave at the beginning of the month but have extended our contract in order to get him on the same plane with us back home (airport weather restrictions).

We're trying to arrange another few weeks in Korea (vacationing, technically? We can't extend our contracts for just a month) for the same reason.  We will hire a pet shipper if we must leave in August (oh the expense...), but I will feel much better with both my cats on the plane with us.  The cargo routes have horrible layovers, and I'd worry about their well-being as they were being shunted about two different airports by total strangers. 

and no you're not a cool owner if you pawn you're animals off to your friends while you go away for the weekend

To this, however, I have to say WTH?? Parents hire responsible sitters for their children when necessary.  So do pet owners.  Pet ownership is not the same as house arrest.  Going away for the weekend occasionally is not the same as abandonment. Some people are happy to pet-sit, even if you in particular are not.

I completely agree with the consensus on this thread and I am a pet owner currently located here in South Korea. More specifically Suncheon, in Jeollanam-do.  I don't own a cat or a dog or even a hamster. My animal / pet is a mini-rex rabbit named Alex. I bought 1 year ago from a Homeplus when I lived in Cheongju and had planned on living here for the next 4 years. I am still planning on living here for two more years and I plan on keeping my rabbit alive at least that long. I'm not sure how long he will live because I haven't been able to get him "fixed" and I know that rabbits don't live as long if you don't get them "fixed". Don't get me wrong I want to get him fixed if I can so he'll live longer. If I can I want to take him back to the U.S., but I plan on dealing with that when the time comes.

Like the post says don't buy an animal to fill the void if you're only here for a year or two it just causes them and others more trouble.

On a final note, if you absolutely need an animal, don't buy them from a store, look for pets that other people are trying to get rid of as they need a home and the pets in the stores do not. It will make the number of homeless pets less.

For the good animal owners, kia kaha....   you have my respect,  because  you must be missing out on a lot of cool weekends away exploring different places...    and no you're not a cool owner if you pawn you're animals off to your friends while you go away for the weekend or even a vacation for a second think.     You're actually just taken advantage of someone elses better nature,  don't for a second think you're not getting talked about

REALLY???!? So, by that same reasoning, I shouldn't even go to work because it's unfair to my dog to leave her at home alone.

I am not in Korea yet, but my boyfriend and I will be bringing our dog along this fall. Would it make me a better pet owner to rehome her in the US before coming to Korea?

Being a pet parent is not a life sentence. It does NOT mean you can't travel, go on vacation, have a life. Getting a pet sitter IS the responsible thing to do... That comment just makes me SO MAD!!!

My dog is only a year and a half in age, but has already seen 5 states, and has gone hiking, kayaking, boating, and even surfing, amongst other things. If dogs were allowed everywhere, she would accompany me everywhere. Period. If I could, I would take her trekking to see the islands of Thailand, Tokyo, the ruins of Angkor, etc. Because dogs, in many places, are not allowed and sometimes safety is an issue, there will be times that in Korea I will have to get a pet sitter. No different than living in the US. Can you really look me in the eyes and say that I am a bad pet owner??

Someone I know just put her hamsters outside in a box that said "FREE" because she found out the female hamster was pregnant.  SO irresponsible. 

I completely agreed. I think it's so irresponsible when people get pets if they are aware that they don't plan to stay long-term

If you give to pets the same rights as people then I can see why you wouldn't want people handing off pets willy-nilly.

IMO, pets aren't people. They deserve compassion, but ultimately the point of a pet is to work for the owner. That's why God made them or that's why our ancestors bred them. Either way, we're their boss, not the other way around.

We have a responsibility to show compassion to them, but that doesn't extend to offering every dog, cat, and gerbil a "forever home". Human children are handed off from foster home to foster home, and we allow this to happen. So why is it such a tragedy when a dog spends a few years with one owner, and a few years with another?

One can argue that one tragedy doesn't justify another. However, there are foreigners here volunteering at pet shelters, but I haven't once heard of volunteering at a homeless shelter - or an orphanage. The conclusion I draw is that foreigners here care more about dogs and cats then they do about disadvantaged Korean people.