Puppies sit in a cage at an animal shelter in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. Courtesy of Sangju City Government

Four out of 10 Koreans acquire their pets for free from acquaintances, a recent survey showed.

Additionally, 15.7 percent of pet owners have bred pets at home, with the majority giving the puppies or kittens away to acquaintances at no cost.

The findings, released by AWARE, an animal welfare advocacy organization, are part of a survey titled "Animal Welfare Perceptions," conducted with 2,000 adults across the country from Dec. 12 to 17, 2023.

The survey revealed that 46.7 percent of pet owners received their pets for free from acquaintances, surpassing other sources such as pet shops at 14.6 percent, paid adoption from acquaintances at 9.3 percent and street rescue at 7.8 percent.

Notably, free pet adoption from acquaintances increased by 8.5 percentage points from the previous year. Among those who received pets from acquaintances, 68.7 percent adopted the offspring of the pets of their acquaintances. Moreover, 15.7 percent of pet owners reported that their pets had given birth at home within the past five years, and these offspring were mostly given away for free.

Lee Hyung-joo, the head of AWARE, said breeding pets unchecked at home can contribute to pet overpopulation and, consequently, an increase in abandoned animals. AWARE said South Korea has a pet overpopulation problem, defined by a surplus of animals compared to the demand for pet ownership.

Dogs are pictured at an animal shelter in Korea. Korea Times file

The issue arises from allowing cats and dogs to breed with little chance for the offspring to find homes and from owners abandoning them.

"More than 100,000 lost or abandoned animals emerge each year in Korea," Lee said.

The primary reasons for relinquishing pets include lifestyle constraints such as frequent outings, business trips or vacations at 28.8 percent, higher-than-expected caring costs at 25.6 percent and the time required for care at 22.4 percent.

"This data underscores the critical need for responsible pet ownership and [knowing the] consequences of pet overpopulation in South Korea," Lee said.

An overwhelming 89.3 percent of respondents agreed with restricting the commercial breeding and sale of pets, marking an increase of 12.6 percentage points from the previous year.

At the same time, 93.3 percent believe that pet registration should be changed to a renewal system, and 71.1 percent think imposing an annual registration fee or tax on pet owners could effectively enhance their sense of responsibility.

This article by Ko Eun-kyung from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, was assisted by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.