Pet cafes boom in Asia: Dogs earn treats by delighting tourists
Dog restaurants and cafes in some Asian tourist countries are becoming increasingly popular. The business is flourishing to such an extent that pet owners are sending their pets to work to earn their treats by playing with tourists.
21 October 2024 11:56
According to CNN, cafes and restaurants with animals are a major business in China, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. It's not just dogs playing with tourists in these places. You can also find cats, parrots, capybaras, and rabbits.
An attraction for tourists
Small and cute animals make the time spent by restaurant clients, mostly tourists, more enjoyable. They roam the restaurants freely, allowing travellers to interact with them. Interestingly, these establishments often have higher service prices than local ones of similar standards. Despite this, there is no shortage of guests who enjoy spending time with the animals.
As CNN reports, Chinese and Thai restaurants are even recruiting and hiring dogs to work. For playing with clients, the dogs, or rather their owners, receive payouts.
Dogs work for themselves
"I feel it's just like parents sending their kids off to school," says a 27-year-old owner of a two-year-old Samoyed who works part-time in a dog cafe in Fuzhou, China. "Sending OK to the cafe is a win-win. She gets to play with other dogs and won't feel so lonely," she said, as CNN quoted.
The dog's owner explains that her pet had to undergo a dog job interview. "The cafe owner watched OK for about an hour to see if she interacted well with customers and got along with the other four dogs," the woman said. She added that the meeting ended with the dog being hired at the cafe.
