Playing with Dogs at Bau Haus Dog Cafe, Seoul

My favourite thing about this video – the giant white dog prancing around at the start of the clip!

I, Audrey,  am the dog lover in the relationship. My first pets were two giant German Shepherds, which at age 6 looked larger than life. I can’t say their beastly size ever intimidated me because they were the sweetest dogs – even if they were capable of crushing a bone and gulping it down in a matter of seconds.

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Last weekend, I found myself making my way over to Bau Haus – perhaps the best known dog cafe in all of Seoul. I didn’t always like the idea of visiting an animal cafe. The first time I heard about them was in my TESL training class back in Toronto. We were reading an article about how the small apartment sizes and busy work schedules had lead to the creation of pet cafes in Tokyo. For a few hundred yen people could play with animals and receive the affection they were so deeply lacking. My first response, “Well, that’s depressing…” Yet fast forward a few months, and here I was paying a few thousand won for the same experience in Korea.

The dogs were darlings! Within minutes of arriving there, a gold Cocker Spaniel had sat next to me on the bench, and then I befriended a young Golden Retriever – and I didn’t even have to bribe them with food!

Despite the variation in breeds and sizes – from the ones that resembled wooly mammoths to the miniature poodles – there were no fights between any of dogs. The most action we saw was a tiny little dog looking for romance with a much older and larger dog. She was not interested and would deflect every pass he made at her. That little guy sure wasn’t giving up! We nicknamed him Humper.

The larger breeds really were the gentle giants and would just lie around waiting for people to pet them. The smaller dogs, on the other hand, made their way around the room like social butterflies, always searching for possible treats from new guests.

Admission to the dog cafe is ‘free’, but once inside everyone is expected to purchase a beverage. The prices are a bit higher than what you might encounter at your local coffee shop ranging from 6000-8000 won ($6-8 USD), but the selection is great and includes smoothies, fresh fruit juice, lattes, herbal teas, and even chocolate milkshakes! Not a bad price considering you also get to interact with the pups as long as you want.

Getting there

Bau Haus was originally located in Hongdae, but recently switched locations. Get off at Hapjeong Station on Line 2 and take either exit 3 or 4. The cafe is located on the small side street right between the two subway exits. Once you turn down the side street, the cafe will be on your right hand side.