Park Sun-young, a former announcer turned dog butler who appears on JTBC new entertainment program ‘When I Leave Home, I’m a Dog ‘, a reality show about observing dogs, shared her goal of running’ Gaehogang Kindergarten ‘for dogs, saying, “I wanted to create a dream kindergarten that I thought didn’ t exist in the world.”

Park Sun-young joined the new JTBC entertainment show ‘When I Go Home, I’ll Be a Dog ‘, which airs every Sunday at 10:30 AM, as a teacher for the’ large dog class ‘.Park Sun-young, who loves animals, became the teacher in charge of’ Lotto ‘, a companion dog who was strayed from the house, in the second episode of’ When I Go Home, I’ll Be a Dog ‘, which aired on the 1st, and moved everyone by gradually opening up the heart of the timid Lotto through close care.

However, Park Sun-young has a severe’ animal fur allergy ‘, so being with her pet dogs is a miracle in itself.She said, “I couldn’ t work and had to take a year off.I wanted to overcome it somehow,” revealing her true love for her pets.

The following is a Q&A with Park Seon-yeong, who overcame allergies by visiting hospitals and is dedicated to running the ‘Gaehogang Kindergarten’.

1.I’m curious about your first thoughts when you received the offer to appear on the show and why you decided to appear.

- ‘Is it okay to pursue personal interests while working?’ , ‘I should keep this a secret from my family.’These were the thoughts that came to my mind first.I’m the type of person who would stop in my tracks when it comes to animals, and I’d freeze while changing channels, but unfortunately, I’ve never hosted an animal-related program before.The thought of meeting animals in person, who are so healing just by watching their videos! I was really excited.However, on the other hand, I had to keep what I was doing a secret from my family the whole time I was filming because I was worried that they might be worried about my animal hair allergy.

2.You are a famous companion animal, so please show off your pet dog.

- ‘My pet is the best’ is probably the same for every pet owner, right? But my dogs are really ‘really’ different.They are smart, clean, and have a keen and clever nature that never misses a chance to eat.They are rescued from an abandoned family, so they have their own unique sensitivity and pricklyness.They are a precious gift that came to our family on Chuseok in 2014.

3.As the number of single-person households increases, it is said that the biggest worry for pet owners is their dogs left alone after work.What is your biggest worry while living with your dog? And have those worries been alleviated a lot since you started running the ‘Gaehogang Kindergarten’ ?

- My dog is a child who lives with memories of being abandoned, so he is very scared, and he also has a disease, so I always feel a little sad.I heard that there are good kindergartens and facilities that are currently in operation, but I couldn’t even try because I thought that I would have to experience trial and error to find out.Also, I felt that my dog was not very social, so I was worried that he might get hurt by other dogs.So my family tried various methods to not leave the dog alone as much as possible.I thought that was a natural sacrifice.However, I gained some courage while filming this.First of all, I aimed to operate the kindergarten in accordance with its name, ‘When I leave home, I will be a good dog.’ I operated it with the thought, ‘What if I sent my dog to kindergarten?’ As a result, I also had realistic expectations that ‘there must be a kindergarten like this somewhere,’ and as I watched the puppies who came to the kindergarten adapt and grow in their own ways, I was able to relieve some of the vague worries I had as a pet owner.

4.I am curious to know what you realized or gained through ‘Leaving Home, Gaehogang’.

- I learned that Border Collies have a high probability of depression and are the most abandoned breed.They are excellent dogs with a brilliant mind, abundant stamina, and physical ability, but some pet owners who raise them simply out of curiosity do not take responsibility for them until the end.It was so heartbreaking.The child who entered our kindergarten really gave us happy energy.Through this shoot, I had the opportunity to learn that each dog has a different personality and that each breed has a very distinct personality.Based on that, it was a good opportunity to think more deeply about how to treat dogs.I also learned a lot about relationships between dogs.In the end, they are similar to people.They are like angels, but in their relationships, there are relationships that they like and dislike, and relationships that they want to avoid, and relationships that they want to keep close to.Interestingly, watching the relationships between dogs made me reflect on my attitude toward people.

5.Did you do anything special to prepare before filming? What was the biggest difference between your mindset before filming and after filming?

- I went to the hospital really diligently.I rescued a cat in the winter of 2022 and suddenly became its owner.Then I developed an allergy to animal hair and got really sick in 2023.I couldn’t work and had to rest for almost a year.I heard that there are quite a few pet owners who fight allergies while raising their pets.They raise their pets while taking medicine because they can’t break the bond that has become their family.I’m one of those pet owners.I wanted to overcome myself somehow, and I was so angry that my allergy was becoming an obstacle in my life.So I decided, ‘I’m going to overcome it somehow.’

So, even before my appearance was confirmed, I visited the best allergy specialist in Korea and continued treatment and consultation.I heard that 3 out of 10 pet owners in Korea suffer from pet allergies.I think pet owners who have the same concerns as me will sympathize a lot.There were many concerns, so it was more of an adventure than a challenge, but for the most part, it was happiness itself.

6.Is there anything you remember from interacting with the dogs you were with?

- It was so satisfying and great to see the children who only looked at their guardians as they dropped them off at school on the first day of school, running into the kindergarten the next day after spending a day there.Of course, they still ran when they left school, but I felt like I got confirmation that they were sharing their feelings with each other.

7.Please describe your character in’ When You Leave Home, You’ll Be a Dog ‘.

- I am a strict disciplinary leader.There are rules that must be followed in kindergarten, so I think that our students should follow them well in order to have a fun kindergarten life with their friends.

8.Please give a word to the viewers by pointing out one must-see point.

- I wanted to create a dream kindergarten that seemed like it would never exist in the world.We were teachers who ran a kindergarten, but at the same time, we are also companions who have the same heart as the guardians who visit the kindergarten.The reason we opened a kindergarten called’ When you leave home, you will be a good dog ‘is very clear.We wanted to find happiness for the precious companion animals and guardians who come to us.You will be able to take away a warm heart as a bonus, so please watch over us.

JTBC’s ‘When I Go Out of the House, I’m a Dog’ airs every Sunday at 10:30 AM on JTBC and is pre-released on Coupang Play every Saturday at 5 PM.

Reporter Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com jhj@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.