Dongjak-gu to host pet sports day for dogs and their owners

Dongjak-gu will hold the 2026 Dongjak-gu Pet Sports Day on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Nodeulnaru Park (247 Noryangjin-ro).

Now in its fourth year, the event is organized by the Dongjak-gu Facilities Management Corporation to promote communication and harmony between pet owners and non-owners and to spread responsible pet ownership culture.

Pre-event activities will open with a "pet etiquette" quiz competition and a "sit and come" obedience championship, followed at 2 p.m. by an opening ceremony and awards presentation for the championship, with guests and residents in attendance.

Main competitions begin at 3 p.m. and include a relay race in which dogs and their owners run together, an obstacle course run, and a dance contest performed alongside pet dogs. Additional programming includes grooming demonstrations, a personal-trick play session, a pet massage class and a lucky-draw raffle.

The venue will also feature experience booths — caricature portraits, walk-bag and keyring making, and a paw-print pledge — alongside activity booths offering AI-assisted behavior correction, pet tarot readings and pet CPR education.

Organizers will also operate a picnic zone where visitors can relax freely with their dogs, a photo zone for four-cut portrait shots with pets, a flea market featuring local pet businesses, and food trucks to round out the festivities.

The district will conduct an on-site survey at the event in connection with a new initiative to install pet waste bag collection bins at parks, aimed at improving convenience for pet owners and maintaining a clean park environment.

Attendees and pet owners will be surveyed on the need for and willingness to use the bins, their preferred installation locations, and difficulties they experience disposing of pet waste during walks. The results will inform the selection of sites for expanded bin installation.

"I hope this sports day becomes an opportunity for pet owners and non-owners to understand and connect with each other," Dongjak-gu District Mayor Ryu Sam-young said. "We will continue to listen to residents' voices and work to create an environment where people and pets can coexist harmoniously."