(VOVworld)- In recent years, raising pets has become more popular in major cities in China thanks to improved living standards. As a result, pet care grows strongly becoming a “fortune making” industry in China.

Photo: globaltimes.cn

Pet raising has experienced a strong growth as a result of lonely life and daily pressures and increasing incomes of people in major cities. According to Euromonitor, a UK-based market research agency, 30 million households or about 7% of families in China, own at least one pet. The South China Morning Post reported that they not only buy expensive pet food, rich Chinese people buy expensive dogs like the Tibetan terrier and often consider their pet a family member.

The increasing number of pets has resulted in an explosion of pet care services. There are more than 30,000 pet care services in major cities in China, three times the number in the US. During the recent Lunar New Year festival, pet care services made a fortune. The daily fee for pet care doubled to about 14 USD. The pet care market in China raked in 14.2 billion USD with pet food and daycare services being the big ticket items. Photo services for pets have also grown.  According to a pet photographer, a photo package for pets can cost as much as 1,400 USD. A month-long training course for pets costs 805 USD.

Owning a pet has become a symbol of financial success in China. Euromonitor forecasts that pet daycare services in China will earn 2.5 billion USD by 2019 surpassing the US to become the largest market. The number of pet dogs in China increased to 27.4 million ranking third in the world after the US and Brazil.