About Those Pampered Dogs in ‘Parasite’

Bong Joon Ho’s film “Parasite” pits the wealthy Parks against the unemployed Kim family, who slowly infiltrate their household.

The three adorable dogs that belong to the Parks live better than the Kims, even dining on such rare treats as kangaroo jerky. They have the run of the house and are frequently being fussed over and carried by Mrs. Park (Yeo-jeong Jo.)

Woo-sik Choi as Ki-woo Kim and Yeo-jeong Jo as his employer,  Yeon-kyo Park 

Fortunately, no harm comes to any of the dogs. (Unlike Bong’s first feature film, “Barking Dogs Never Bite,” in which [SPOILER] dogs are killed and eaten!)

However, in one “Parasite scene,” we see that Mrs. Kim (Hyae Jin Chang) is not a fan of the dogs. With the Parks out of town, she shoos the beagle away with obvious animosity.

The dogs — a terrier or poodle mix, a beagle and a Pomeranian — are named Zoonie, Berry, and Foofoo. The PR film informed Moviepaws that they are credited as Gamja, Mangchi, and Mungchi, respectively.

While the dogs aren’t pivotal to the plot of “Parasite,” Bong has advocated for animal rights in previous films. One of his first films, “Looking for Paradise,” was a stop-motion short about a gorilla trying to escape imprisonment. He also directed “Okja,” in which a girl tries to save a genetically modified superpig from being slaughtered.

“Parasite,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, is now playing in limited release. This year’s Palm Dog award did not go this charming canine cast, but to the heroic pit bull in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”)

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