Dog barking too much? Phone the government

Having trouble finding a vet in your neighborhood for your new puppy? Don’t know what to do to find your lost cat? Many pet owners search for such information on the Internet, if they don’t simply rely on their own judgment.

Now the Korean government is opening a new call center for the growing number of pet owners to help them with information.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, which manages the call center, operations begin today and the phone lines are manned from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

The call center representatives offer advice on how to adopt a pet, how to feed and vaccinate them, housebreaking hints, how to handle pets in public places, what to do when a pet is lost and the location of nearest veterinarian clinics. The reps on the phone can also direct owners to the Agriculture Ministry, National Veterinary Research & Quarantine Service and animal-related departments at each regional government.

Korea had no central government agency to handle pet-related inquiries from the public until the Agriculture Ministry took over the role last year. According to government estimates, about four million households are raising about 5.3 million animal pets.

The number of the center is: 1577-0954.

By Jung Ha-won [hawon@joongang.co.kr]