Trial program lets families assess temperament, behavior and compatibility with existing pets before finalizing adoption

Program launches at government-run shelters, with expansion planned after performance review

New guidelines also allow shelters to specialize in either rescue or pre-sale operations

This image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
This image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

South Korea will introduce a "pre-adoption" program that allows prospective owners to bring a stray or abandoned animal home for up to 10 days before deciding whether to adopt it, giving families a chance to assess the animal's temperament, behavior and ability to adjust to a new home. The measure is designed to reduce adoptions that fall through or result in animals being abandoned again.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced Tuesday it would launch the pre-adoption program to help shelter animals find stable new families.

Under the program, a person intending to adopt may take a shelter animal home for up to 10 days on a trial basis before making a final decision.

Officials said one of the biggest barriers to adopting stray and abandoned animals has been the difficulty of gauging an animal's personality and behavior in a shelter setting, and the uncertainty over whether it will adapt well to a home environment.

The trial period will allow prospective adopters to observe firsthand how an animal settles into a new environment. Families can also check whether the animal gets along with any pets they already own. The ministry said the program should reduce impulsive adoptions that lead to animals being returned or abandoned, while also easing the anxiety of would-be adopters.

Anyone interested can apply at a government-run animal shelter operated directly by a local government. The ministry plans to roll out the program at those shelters first, then analyze results and gather feedback before expanding it more broadly.

The ministry is also introducing separate measures to improve the health management of shelter animals and raise the overall standard of shelter operations.

The ministry revised its animal shelter operating guidelines to establish a framework under which shelters can specialize — operating either as rescue and care centers or as pre-sale adoption centers. The revised guidelines also require adequate physical separation between animal intake observation rooms and isolation wards to prevent the spread of infectious disease.

Choi Gyeong-cheol, head of the ministry's task force on ending dog meat consumption, said the pre-adoption program would serve as "a bridge that gives prospective adopters and shelter animals time to truly get to know each other, so they can become a complete family." He added that the ministry would continue refining the system "to build a mature pet adoption culture that lowers the barriers to adoption while raising the sense of responsibility that comes with it."


adastra@heraldcorp.com