"The deceased lay wrapped in a cotton blanket, surrounded by white roses and hydrangea, angelic figurines and lit candles and incense. A wall-mounted screen displayed photographs of him. His 71-year old companion, Kim Seon-ae, convulsed with tears as she bid farewell, caressing his head and face. Next door, young uniformed morticians prepared for his cremation." - per recent NY Times dated Oct 12, 2024
Very ordinary looking mausaleum in Korea.
And all this for a 13-year old, white poodle. Yes, the country with the lowest birthrate of developed countries has perhaps replaced children with pets. Today's pet ownership in Korea is about 25% of households; still dwarfed by American's 62% pet ownership. But from what this Gmama can read they may be taking pet ownership to a new level. Per the article in the NYT, online stores in Korea sell more baby carriages for pets than for children! There are Buddhist Temples where the family takes the dog for a meditative visit... there are Cat Cafes... extensive clothing lines for pets... and the proliferation of Pet Mortuaries has increased dramatically.
Americans too have caught on to these trends. It hasn't been so long ago where you never saw a 'doggy daycare.' But now they seem to be everywhere! The biggest difference I see in Korea vs US dog ownership is perhaps the size of the dogs. In Korea they like smaller dogs and their favorite dog is a Maltese. In the US it has historically been larger dogs, such as Labrador Retrievers, although I see French Bulldogs have been #1 for the past couple of years. Maybe an insight into home sizes in the two countries. (I write this as I babysit Favorite Daughter's 115 lb mutt who seems particularly attached to one of my couches...)
I heard from a reliable source that in the future, Judy may get a pocket-sized mutt of her own.
The referenced mutt loves spending time with you! Thankfully you have multiple couches 😂