Pet hotels are highly sought after this Spring Festival holiday as many pet owners are leaving their pets in Shenzhen to travel to their hometowns, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.
According to the report, the prices of pet sitting services in many pet hotels have soared by 20 to 50 percent during the Spring Festival holiday in the city, and it’s been difficult for pet owners to book a bed for their pets in some popular pet hotels.
A resident, surnamed Dai, has a 2-year-old Husky, and she paid nearly 2,000 yuan (US$316) to a pet store in Buji for taking care of her dog for 20 days.
Dai said she used to bring her dog with her for the Spring Festival holiday in previous years, but she has to leave the dog in Shenzhen this year because she and her boyfriend will hold their wedding in her boyfriend’s hometown in Jiangsu and then in her hometown in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province.
Dai said they won’t have time to take care of the dog as they have to prepare for the wedding and travel from one city to the other.
The owner of a pet store in Huangbeiling said the number of orders for pet sitting services has doubled for the Spring Festival holiday. The store’s pet sitting prices for dogs range between 50 and 85 yuan per day.
A staffer of a pet store in Liuxiandong said the store can only accommodate about 20 pets, and beds for large-size dogs are fully booked a week before the Spring Festival.
According to the report, some pet stores also offer door-to-door pet sitting services this year. The pet sitters will go to the customers’ homes twice a day, feeding the pets, giving them a bath and walking the dogs.
A resident, surnamed Jiang, chose the door-to-door pet sitting service this year because his cat didn’t like staying in a cage and he was worried that his cat might catch a cross infection in a pet store.
But some pet owners are concerned about the risks of such service as pet sitters might steal their things or abuse their animals while not under supervision.
According to the report, pet owners are advised to choose licensed pet stores and sign fostering agreements with the pet stores before using the pet sitting service. They should also notify pet stores about their pets’ living habits, eating habits or other special requirements in advance.
