Pay a visit to Gyeoul’s House in Seoul and you will find yourself charmed by a multitude of charming Samoyeds at the Samoyed dog cafe in Hongdae.
Found within in the hip and youthful neighbourhood of Hongdae, the Gyeoul’s House is a Samoyed Dog Cafe where you can spend an hour or so being lost in the company of these magnificent dogs.
Samoyeds are a breed of medium sized herding dogs that are distinguishable by its thick, all-white coat. They were originally bred to herd reindeer and pull sleds, and by their thick coats, you can tell that they are a breed that comes from a cold region, in this case, northern Siberia.
Known to be intelligent and friendly, Samoyeds make great companions. And that is why paying a visit to the Samoyed Dog Cafe in Hongdae is such as delightful experience.
The Samoyed Dog Cafe is called Gyeoul’s House. It is named after the head dog.
Gyeoul means winter in Korean. That’s why, you may also come across some references to it as Winter’s Village.
Finding the Samoyed Dog Cafe in Hongdae
Gyeoul’s House is located just a street away from the Eoulmadang-ro, popular main street in the Hongdae neighbourhood, along Wausan-ro 17-gil.
It is in a building all its own.
A fence surrounds the building because the dogs are let out at various times a day to roam about.
Entering Gyeoul’s House
On entering the building, you will arrive at the check in counter where you will have to purchase an admission ticket.
Once you have purchased a ticket, you will be given a tag. Be sure not to lose the tag as it serves as your identification while you are in the dog cafe. You will need to return it when you leave; if you lose the tag, you will have to pay for it.
Head to a little room on the right to put away your belongings. There are free lockers provided. If you wish, you can also swop out your shoes for some slippers to be used on the premises. This is entirely optional.
Before you are allowed to move around the Samoyed Dog Cafe, you will need to go through a briefing.
The staff will instruct you on how to open and shut the gates separating different areas of the cafe. You will also be instructed on how to approach the dogs.
Touching the head and face of the dogs is not allowed as it can stress them out. In addition, should be aware that two of the dogs, Mong and I-Rang, should not be touched.
Interacting with the Samoyeds at Gyeoul’s House
Gyeoul’s House has two levels where you can interact with the Samoyeds. Generally, you will be ushered to either the lower or upper level depending on which level has more space available.
The lower level is a smaller room while the upper level is a larger space.
At both levels, you will have a chance to see and interact with the beautiful dogs. You can also feed the dogs with treats provided by the staff.
You may notice that the tails of some of them are dyed in different colours. This is to allow them to be distinguished, one from the other. The dye used is food-grade and only the females have dyed tails.
Some of the Samoyeds are even dressed up with frilled collars.
If you look for it on the wall, you can also see the a chart showing the dogs’ family tree. This shows the names of the dogs that can be found on each level.
We also enjoyed reading some facts about about their personalities.
For example, Ryo, one of the male Samoyed has large paws but despite his size, he is timid and enjoys being on his own. Another dog is Jo-A, a female Samoyed that gets easily excited around snacks and toys.
The dogs are very friendly. Clearly, they are used to the presence of the many visitors that come through the Gyeoul’s House each day. They are so large that you will need to resist the temptation to cuddle them when they come up to you.
When we were there, it was also meal time for the dogs. It was eye-opening seeing the staff lay out the food dishes for the dogs. The dogs are so well trained and discipline that they waited patiently for the staff to give the signal for them to proceed to chow down on the food. We could see them impatiently waiting for the signal so that they could tuck in.
As a special treat, the staff had the dogs sit up and pose on the seating area so that visitors could take pictures with them. It was a nice way to get a picture as a memento of the visit to the Samoyed dog cafe in Hongdae.
Drinks at the Samoyed Dog Cafe
If you do want to get a drink at Samoyed Dog Cafe, these are additional cost and you can get one from the DONGYANG self-service cafe drinks dispenser.
Useful Things to Know About Visiting the Samoyed Dog Cafe
One important thing to note if you are planning a visit to Samoyed Dog Cafe in Hongdae is that the dogs are let outdoors to defecate three times a day.
Each of these times is 20 minutes long and during these times, there is no admission to Gyeoul’s house. So, take note of the times and avoid arriving at these time.
The Outdoor Defecation Times each day are:
- 2.50 pm to 3.10 pm
- 5.20 pm to 5.40 pm
- 7.30 pm to 7.50 pm
You may also wish to know that only those who are 10 years old and up (based on Korean age) can enter into the Samoyed Dog Cafe. Those who are 13 years and under (based on Korean age) will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Winter’s Village dog cafe is open from 1 pm till 9 pm. Last admission is at 8 pm. It is closed every Tuesday.
Have fun visiting the Samoyed Dog Cafe in Hongdae: Winter’s Village / Gyeoul’s House.
Winter’s Village – Samoyed Cafe
Where:
South Korea, Seoul, Mapo-gu, Wausan-ro 17-gil, 19-5 겨울이 머무는 집
Website
While you are in the Hongdae neighbourhood, you may also enjoy visiting the Meerkat Friends cafe.
