"Even a quick trip outside for a bathroom break feels like too much."
The relentless heat wave has transformed how pet owners manage their dogs' summers. As more owners cut back on outdoor activity, demand for indoor pee pads has surged — and products designed to help pets beat the heat, from stamina-boosting foods to cooling apparel, are flying off shelves alongside them.
Online grocer Kurly said indoor pet waste products — pads and similar items — saw transaction volume jump 110 percent last month compared with the same period a year earlier. The spike was attributed to owners keeping dogs indoors and away from walks during the heat wave.
Demand for pet "stamina foods" has also climbed. Over the same period, transactions for snacks including pet milk, samgyetang-style chicken broth and dried pollock soup rose 63 percent. Standout sellers included Dumon's dog nutrition broth and Boksul Gangaji's easy-digestion porridge for dogs.
Cooling apparel is drawing growing interest as well. At the pet supplies store inside The Hyundai Yeouido, visited Thursday, cooling garments for dogs occupied the entire front of the floor. The selection ranged from wraps soaked in water before a walk to vests with pockets for cooling pouches — all designed to help lower a dog's body temperature.
"Cooling apparel is what customers ask for most in summer," a store employee said. "As the weather has gotten hotter, we've seen a lot more people looking for something that can bring their dog's temperature down on walks."
Budget variety chain Daiso is also seeing rapid sales of heat-relief pet products. A 3,000-won cooling shirt and a 5,000-won cooling mesh cushion — both listed on the Daiso app — are currently sold out. Demand for indoor activity products is rising too: a water play mat on the Daiso app climbed to No. 2 on its real-time popularity ranking.
"This year, as the heat has intensified, we've seen a noticeable increase in demand for products that let owners care for their pets indoors," an industry official said. "The longer the heat wave lasts, the more consumers will seek out products tailored to the changing lifestyles of their pets."
siuu@heraldcorp.com
