The graph shows percentages of various dog breeds registered in Seoul. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]
One in every 10 households in Seoul owns a pet dog, 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.
With 4.09 million households in Seoul, this means 14.9 percent of households in Seoul, or one out of 10 households, owns a dog.
The top five most popular breeds in Seoul were Maltese, Poodle, mixed breed, Pomeranian and Shih Tzu, which together comprise of 62.4 percent of all registered dogs in Seoul.
The Maltese breed made up 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.
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, the highest number, 85, was located in Gangnam District, and 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]
