Peace of mind for vacationing pet-owners

You might have a happy home with your cat or dog, but what happens when you need to go away for a few days?

Many expats buy pets or rescue abandoned animals while they are here ― but it raises the thorny issue of what to do when that much-needed holiday rolls around.

Shelters are available, but many are expensive and some pet owners distrust them or would simply prefer to have their pets looked after.

Enter the Pet Sitting Network, a Facebook group putting potential pet-sitters in touch with owners.

Started in 2008 by Pamela McKay, the group has grown largely through word of mouth to more than 600 members.

“It’s such a nice community of animal lovers and I think a lot of friendships have blossomed from there,” she says.

According to McKay, there are other benefits too.

“People have found ways of getting their animals shipped home,” she explains.

“There’s a lot of advice going back and forth about what people have experienced in their particular situation owning pets overseas and transporting pets back home from Korea and vice versa.”

The site was originally conceived as a site for sitting exchanges ― a couch surfing for cats, perhaps. But McKay says the group is not just for pet owners ― any animal lover can join in and offer pet-sitting services.

“A lot of people come and maybe have pets back home in their home country but are maybe not prepared to take on the responsibility of owning another pet here,” she explains.

“So they can possibly join the group and they can maybe foster an animal or pet-sit an animal or maybe do something volunteer related for shelter animals, because we also post information about charity events and that sort of thing.”

Other activities have included dog walks, although McKay says that it’s been more difficult to set those up since she left Busan for her current home near Daegu.

However she has been able to join in volunteering work at the Korean Animal Protection Society, where she got her own Shih Tzu, Milo.

For some others it’s a chance to show off their favorite furry friends.

“People are so proud of their pets and post pictures of their pets and it’s just so great to see that. It’s like a real family.”

Although McKay moderates the group quite heavily ― weeding out spammers and unrelated posts ― she says the group mostly runs itself, with people keeping the disputes that occasionally arise between themselves.

McKay says she has no grand plans for the group, but says that Facebook changes and increased numbers mean that members now have to do more of their own searching.

While more members means there is also a better chance of getting your pet sat, she acknowledges that the group could become unwieldy.

That’s a bridge McKay will cross when she comes to it, but she notes that there is already a separate regional group called Gwangju-Jeolla Pet Sitters and Animal Lovers.

“I think that’s great,” she says. “It takes a little of the heat off my group and it makes a lot of sense to have a group that is dedicated to just one area within Korea.”

The Pet Sitting Network ― South Korea can be found on Facebook.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)