[OSEN=Reporter Yu Su-yeon] Actor Jo Han-seon conveyed his sincere feelings about his pet dog.
On the first broadcast of MBC’s new pilot program ‘Our Neighborhood Furballs’ on the 16th, owner Jeong Jae-hyeong, Hye-ri, Shin Kyu-jin, and members of the Furballs community Jo Han-seon, Lee Gi-woo, and their pet dogs appeared together. In the midst of the first-ever animal enthusiast group in Korea, during the recording session with their pets, Jeong Jae-hyeong exclaimed, “It’s chaotic.”
Jo Han-seon appeared with his pet dog ‘Juro’, and Shin Kyu-jin asked, “I heard that Mr. Han-seon is a working professional,” and Hye-ri added, “He’s not just any working professional, he’s the CEO of a pet media channel.” To this, Jo Han-seon explained, “I am focusing on my main job (acting) as well as my other work. I am working at a pet media channel company,” and Jeong Jae-hyeong mentioned, “Even Em Jung-hwa constantly tunes in to that channel when she leaves.” This comment drew attention.
Jo Han-seon confessed, “I naturally feel a sense of responsibility, and because I focus on that area, I often neglect Juro.” Hye-ri said, “I noticed that Juro is more attached to his dad at the filming site,” and Jo Han-seon said, “But he doesn’t come to me when he’s at home. He doesn’t even look at me when he’s at home. There are a lot of strangers here now, and I seem to be the only one he trusts. I feel like I rank the lowest among the family members,” he complained, eliciting laughter.
He continued, “It feels like he’s going through a rebellious phase,” and Shin Kyu-jin expressed his concern, saying, “Shouldn’t you spend more time playing with him first?” In response, Jo Han-seon said, “In the past, I used to go camping with Juro frequently, but I haven’t been able to lately due to lack of time. This time, with the hope of getting closer to Juro, I went on a camping date with him alone. It was the first time just the two of us have gone on a trip,” he said, drawing attention as he set off for the camping site with his dog ‘Juro’.
Upon arriving at the Wonju camping site where they have been staying for 3 years, Jo Han-seon said, “I adopted Juro in 2019. As I am an actor and also run a business, I pay a lot of attention to other dogs or stray dogs, but I feel like I haven’t paid much attention to my own daughter. Maybe that’s why she didn’t behave well with me,” he mused. “The purpose of this camping trip is not for the owner, but for the dog,” he vowed.
Later, Jo Han-seon enjoyed a pleasant time with his friends and their pet dogs, chatting while relaxing. A friend’s pet dog who camped together that day, ‘Seol-bong’, was diagnosed with diabetes symptoms two years ago and even developed cataracts due to complications. Watching this in the studio, Hye-ri said, “It’s really heartbreaking when they don’t show signs of being in pain when they are sick. It would be nice if they could express it when they’re in pain,” she expressed her sympathy, and Jo Han-seon also shared, “If there is no communication, you won’t know if they are unwell. It’s sad when you don’t know they’re in pain. It’s my third dog, and I didn’t plan to keep one after two, but it didn’t work out that way,” he shared.
In particular, Jo Han-seon confessed about the adoption process of ‘Juro’, saying, “I didn’t adopt him. I bought him.” He added, “In the past, I thought you had to pick up or bring a puppy from somewhere, but nowadays, I think adopting and raising them is better than buying. Because there are too many stray dogs,” and reflected, saying, “I didn’t know the seriousness of stray dogs back then, but by raising one and working in this field, I realized the seriousness of the issue. If I had known, not buying and adopting would have been the right thing to do.” Jeong Jae-hyeong cheered, saying, “People like Mr. Han-seon are important. We need people who know they should adopt and talk about it. There are many who don’t know like you.”.
He also shared concerns about ‘Juro’. Jo Han-seon said, “Juro has a patellar luxation. He needs surgery soon. He cries out in pain. He suddenly makes sounds while walking.” He lamented, “Originally, his patellar luxation was grade 2, but now it’s probably grade 3. Standing on both legs is not good at all, but he doesn’t stop even though he shouldn’t do it. I am worried.”
As they finished camping, Jo Han-seon said, “I felt good today taking care of them. It feels all the same. I don’t think they’ll live longer than humans, but I hope they live long, healthy lives with our family. I want to go camping like this more often. Juro seemed satisfied,” he concluded.
[Photo] MBC ‘Our Neighborhood Furballs’