Seoul loves dogs, especially the Maltese: Report

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Seoul loves dogs, especially the Maltese: Report

Published: 31 May. 2024, 15:02 Updated: 03 Jun. 2024, 13:48

The graph shows percentages of various dog breeds registered in Seoul. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Nearly 15 percent of households in Seoul have pet dogs, with the Maltese being the most popular breed, a recent report said.

More than 612,000 dogs are registered in Seoul, accounting for 17.5 percent of all dogs registered nationwide, according to a report released on Thursday by the Seoul Digital Foundation, affiliated with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

This suggests that 14.9 percent of Seoul's 4.09 million households, or more than one in 10, have dogs.

The top five most popular breeds in Seoul were Maltese, Poodles, mixed breeds, Pomeranians and Shih Tzus, which together comprise 62.4 percent of all registered dogs in Seoul.

Maltese alone accounted for 19.8 percent of the dog population.

“Coco” was the most common dog name among the districts that provided data on pet names — Dongdaemun, Mapo, Yangcheon and Songpa.

“Bori” was the second highest with 1.3 percent, and “Choco” followed at 1.2 percent.

A photo of a Maltese dog. [JOONGANG ILBO]

By district, Gangnam District posted the highest number of registered dogs, 39,792, followed by Songpa District with 38,005 and Gangseo District with 37,800.

Out of the 924 veterinary hospitals in Seoul, 85 were located in Gangnam District, the highest number. Songpa District had the second highest number with 79.

Both districts also have the most pet shops.

Jung and Jongno Districts showed the fewest registered dogs and, accordingly, the least number of veterinary clinics and pet shops.

Yongsan, Gangnam and Dobong Districts demonstrated the highest ratios of dogs to households, with 19.8 percent, 18.7 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively.

Although the report focuses on Seoul, Kang Yo-sik, the Seoul Digital Foundation President, noted that pet preferences are likely similar across the country.

Kang stated that the foundation will continue to publish reports visualizing data to provide insights into the overall lifestyle of Seoul residents.

Survey data from 2022 suggests one in four South Koreans own pets, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

BY WOO JI-WON, LEE SOO-KI [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]