Dog Cafe in Seoul

The week the first cat cafe opened its doors in London, I happened to be in Seoul where cat cafes are already so last season. Here they not only have cafes where you can cuddle cats, but there are also plenty of coffee joints where you can play with dogs. One to check out I thought.

It wasn't hard to track one down as I only needed to spot the man size dancing dog standing in the streets of Myongdong holding up a sign for a dog cafe nearby. He pointed me in the right direction and when I found the address I went up the stairs to the fourth floor.

Before I went in I had to swap my Uggs for bath slippers and sanitise my hands. I paid the 8000 won entrance fee which included a drink and after I was given a laminated sheet of strict do's and don'ts I was allowed in.

The 'cafe' looked more like a doggie day care that offers warm drinks than a coffee joint with dogs. The floor was made of easy to clean but very sterile looking tiles. There were tables with orange chairs and pink plastic benches lining the walls. There was a brightly orange bar where you could order your drink and buy treats for the dogs, not for humans. The walls were decorated with dog drawings and photos of the resident dogs doing funny things.

The dogs themselves were very entertaining as well. A group of 4 girls were sitting in a circle all petting dogs that were sitting on their laps. A big golden retriever and a small oddly shaved poodle were running in circles chasing each other around the room. A little pug dog decided to have a little wee against one of the chairs, which was however swiftly cleaned up by the staff. While most dogs were playing with the humans, many dogs were catching Zzzzs on the benches, on the floor or on laps.

I was given a little pointy snouted dog who got comfy on my lap so we sat there for a moment while I drank my coffee. It was  a very relaxing visit I have to say and there's just something about petting an animal. I really do love this concept especially if you can't have a pet of your own and even though the cafe didn't score points for their coffee I left with a big smile on my face. Oh and lots of dog hair on my clothes.